She pointed. Surrounding the demon was a group of 15 pissed off people. But that's not what she was pointing at…
The male next to Cinthia lunged forward, needing to be held back by his twin. "Agdrin, you sick son of a bitch! Let them go!" Another snarling male also needed to be held back by a tiny girl with metal for skin.
For right in the middle, the demon held two small children hostage, holding their throats and poised to choke the life out of them. They didn't scream, but silent tears rolled down their plump cheeks.
He clenched his teeth. "That it." He began stomping back to the clearing in the woods, fuming.
No one stopped him. Not even Agdrin. They knew he was not after the human, only them. Should they move, Nadya and Aydan would die. Furious tears streamed down both struggling males' faces.
The demon grinned at Runner. "What are you going to do, boy? Kill me?" He laughed, throwing his head back in delight. "Oh, I'd love to see you try."
"Just let the kids go. You want me, right? Well, you got me. Let 'em go."
He laughed again. Tess, who was right behind Runner, muttered "No he's not."
Agdrin snarled. "That's right. Listen to your girlfriend. Can't you put the pieces together? These two maggots" he shook the kids. The girl closed her eyes and let out a small whimper. "Mean nothing to you, but they mean everything to two of the warriors" he spat the word, "in this group. Now why would I do that? Why would I chase a human that's a nuisance at most?"
He tilted his head. "But you can't move, either, or you'll be lit up with a hailstorm of energy from all sides. Seems like a stalemate, yeah?"
He sneered and turned to Cinthia. Dismissal. "We are all aware this whole ordeal is a trap set by yours truly, yes? God. Now, princess, I want to see you kneel. You have been a torn in my side for far too long. I want you to get on your knees and plead for mercy before I carve you into little pieces and dump them at your father's feet. I want to see you beg, a privilege you have yet to grant me or my dear sister, who you so rudely killed, by the way."
Cinthia didn't move, but her gaze flicked over to Runner.
He started pacing back and forth, keeping the growing anger down with this action.
An invisible presence carefully crept up behind Runner, easing him to a natural halt.
"On go," it was a whisper of a male voice. Hot air brushed against Runner's neck. "Hit him with everything that's thrown at you."
He winked to his feet, hoping the voice saw it.
The presence left. The Vanguard members shifted uneasily–or, at least, that was how it was supposed to look. They all took aim at Runner.
Cinthia held her head up high. "Let them go, and you get what you deserve."
He turned to the demon lord with a nasty smile on his face. He wish he could say something badass, or at least dramatic, but the glob of anger in his throat prevented hims from speaking.
Stardew came into view, Trouble and Foxglove trailing behind her.
"We're back," was all she said. "Need any help in this climax?"
The demon ignored Runner, grinning and falling for Cinthia's own trap. He let go of the two kids, who immediately ran for the male next to Cinthia and hugged his legs. Cinthia smiled. "Now my end of the bargain. Go."
Agdrin blinked in confusion. "Go?"
A massive wave of multiple kinds of magic blasted towards Runner as the Vanguard scattered.
Runner shouted spreading his arms out wide and absorbing all of the energy like a sponge. He locked eyes with Agdrin for half a second, then threw every bit of the energy at him at blinding speed.
Agdrin was blasted back, shocked and, quite frankly, overwhelmed. A stream of helfire made its way over to him, and he shrieked in pain. "TRAITORS!!" he screamed
Tess wrapped an arm around Runner's middle and pulled him back. A boy appeared from seemingly nowhere and looked to the three newcomers. "I'd suggest running right now." It was the voice Runner heard before.
Stardew whistled, impressed, before obediently retreating a few meters with the rest of the Alnaschari.
Most of the Vanguard had disappeared by now, along with the children. All that was left was Cinthia, Tessa, the boy, and Cinthia's twin brother.
Agdrin gripped at his burning arm. "You bitch! How dare you go back on your word!"
Cinthia smirked. "I didn't. You got what you deserve, just like I said you would."
Muffled applause from the Alnaschari.
Cinthia and her twin linked arms, bodies merging until they formed a single entity. It was a large canine with dragon-like features. It roared and charged for Agdrin, but he disappeared just before its crushing jaws snapped him in two.
Tess let out a relieved breath and let go of Runner.
He looked dead on his feet. Eyes were bloodshot, chest was heaving, and body language just expressed his exhaustion. "Can I go home yet?" he mumbled, rubbing his head. The reason was pretty obvious. That amount of energy, all converging and being held by a single person would rip a normal human to shreds from the inside out. But, obviously, Runner still had things he hasn't told to the Vanguards.
