There was pain and the feeling of hot wind trickling his face as he flew across the marketplace, landing and rolling in the red sand. He heard a shattering shriek, followed by cracking limestone, a similar sound of striking lightning. 

Splintering explosion sent Peadar reeling backwards again, this time his body hitting a stall. The splintering wood and crunching of fruit and vegetables filled his ears. He landed on his back, his breath knocked out of him and his vision blurred. About him he could hear the scampering of people, yelling and shouting. Sand trembled underneath a mass of violent footsteps, shifting the fine crimson sand. 

Another eruption. This time further away. Peadar groaned as he pushed a wooden beam off his chest. His clothes soaked in the perfume of sweet fruits. He wiped the dripping, sticky liquid off his face. 

Wrath filled Peadar as he thought of frighened Fang. He could only hope that she was alright and run when he told her to. 

He got up slowly, dropping the locket into the sand. Both his hands grasping the axes hungrily. The demonic being was nothing more than a large mound of clay and mud. The fiend stood tall and fat, pooling mire liquid seemed to be constantly be reabsorbed into itself. Four, mud dripping limbs flowed like rushing water, snaking around any object it came into contact with. It had no eyes, only a vague head resmebling a rat. It slithered around, like a snake, nose sniffing for life. 

It carried with it, a strong scent of rot and decay, engulfing the town in horrible, clinging putrid ordor. Peadar swallowed the bile that was rapidly rising in his throat. Cursing his asar sense of smell.

Spitting the acid that was brought up from his stomach, he ran towards the creature, weaving through the panicking horde of merchants and locals. Mothers screamed for their children while they stood and wailed, tears streaming down their chubby pink faces. Peadar ignored it all. His only target was the four limbed demon before him.

Serpentine appendages slammed the stalls, sending them flying over the tenements. Debris and dust rained down, burying the civilians in rubble and mud. Peadar's hurried strides were a few paces away from the creature, dodging the wreckage cascading. The red sky became a vivid, swirling crimson, akin to the blood pooled through the detritus graves. 

The hellish form slithered through the markets, leaving behind a line of mucky, filthy mire, destroying everything in its path. It wrapped the mud dripping tentacle around a tenement, slowly uprooting the building and crushing it with its primal might. 

The citizens jumped from windows and balconies, attempting to escape the monsters hunger. The air was thick with dying screams and bellowing howls. Peadar watched in horror as a slithering limbs pulled fleeing men and women into itself, its form twisting and growing with every humanoid it consumed. And it consumed without descrimination and remorse. 

Only a handful, foolish brave souls attempted to fight the hellish fiend. Some sent their raaptyrs against it, others threw new and used blades and dart againsts it. But it did not damage to the creature, who simply absorbed all and grew. 

The monster stopped suddenly, landing forward on its four serpentine limbs, its murine maw wide open. Skeletal teeth emerged as the demon fiend howled. Peadar has seen many dead, and he recognised the femur bones, broken and jagged, marrow and blood dripping onto the sands, sliding down the creatures mouth. 

The wind seemed to coalesce with the frightening burning heat, twisting together with the demon. But the creature did not harden from the feverish warmth. 

The blob of mire weaved its form through the town of Danaze. Peadar saw the creature break through the canvases and tarpaulins, its limbs getting tangled on the clothing lines that were laced from one tenement to another like a spider's web.

He was close. So very close. Peadar stopped suddenly and a satisfied grin formed underneath his red tartan scarf. Swerving to the left he ran towards one of the undestroyed limestone buildings. Picking up incredible speed he was able to run on the side of the wall for five steps before twisting his body ninety degrees as he pushed off the wall. 

He counted three erratic, adrenaline filled heartbeats. Hot wind whipped his yellow hair, the burning breeze kissing his checks feverishly as he flew in the air for but a fraction of a second. He extended his axes upwards, catching the hook side of his axe on the thick braided rope.

The asar swung his legs up and down, building momentum, he drew a deep breath and heaved himself upwards, catching himself on the next clothing line. With great strength he pulled himself up, legs bent and arms wide.

He was never a great acrobat. In fact, this would be his first time fighting while having to find perfect balance. His legs quivered as he struggled to stand on the thick hemp rope. The line vibrated and shook as the demon stretched its appendages. Peadar swung his axes, missing the creature each time. He ground his teeth in frustration. He needed to rethink his strategy. 

The building that held up the ropes groaned and trembled, Peadar heard the cracking of limestone and silk clothes feathered down in an array of colours. A yellow blanket cloaked his vision, netting the formidable asar. Peadar struggled to uncover his body. Before long he could feel nothing but shifting breeze beneath his feet. This worked to his advantage as the wind blew upwards, causing the yellow blanket to fly up. 

Thinking quickly, Peadar twisting around, catching himself on one of the balconies. He pulled up and stood on top of the railing, his blue eyes slowly turned black and a golden triangular pupil coalesced. The veins around his eyes tensed and exuded, inky tendrils seeped from his eyes and into the veins. Beneath his clothes, his chest quivered, for this was the power of an asar - he bore a demon's heart. 

Peadar was ready, he glared at the demon, his thoughts becoming empty. Nothing but icy rage remained. He stepped off, grabbing hold of the railing with the hook side of the axe. He extended his arm, his feet placed firmly against the wall and with his free hand, he flipped the axe and threw it. It flew in a flourish of silver, the silvery stream exuding a magical trail. 

His flying weapon hit the creature squarely, in-between where there should be eyes. The creature roared up in pain, mud dripping from the axe wound. The hellish clay blob shot out one of its free appendages, the rest still tangled. Peadar smirked as the angry demon protested hard against the ropes, no doubt filled with furious wrath. 

Peadar waited patiently as any predator, the inky veins spread about his body, running down his neck and his arms. His adrenaline calmed down to a one tranquil predacious thought — kill. 

Soon enough the demon broke free, its limbs thrusting outwards. When it shot past him, Peadar let go of his axe and landed on one of the muddy tentacles. His boots sloshed loudly as he raced towards the embedded axe, ducking and rolling out the way when an attacking appendage made to strike at him. He reached the glowing silvered weapon, and his hands grasped the handle and pulled it out with ease. Peadar swivelled right and with a thunderous roar brought his axe down atop the head of the demon. 

An asar could see where the demon hides his heart. For both his and the mud creatures beat to a rhythm.

Mud and clay caked every being of him, solidifying underneath the hot gloaming sky. The demon thrashed beneath him, the limbs going wild, destroying whatever it could hit in its path of devastation. It tried in vain to catch hold of the meddling human above its head, unable to reach the crown. Peadar sliced through the mud with one hand and used his other meaty hand to dig. 

It wasn't long before he discovered a pulsating organ, white glowing veins wrapped securely around an oval beating heart. Grabbing the ivory core, his muscles rippled underneath his doublet as he squeezed. 

With a resonating squelching sound, the demon heart burst, thick vicious ichor dripped down the asar's fisted hand and the hellish being melted instantly, waves of mud and clay washed over Danaze, submerging the town and Peadar entirely. 

Peadar saw blackness for but a moment before he dug himself out, coughing up the ooze from the demon. He felt his chest constrict tightly with each wheezing breath. Taking no notice of the emerging denizens, who slowly crowded the area and his form, muttering, weeping and staring at the destroyed city.

Peadar collapsed onto the mud, his now blue eyes staring into the crimson sky and letting out a croaking laugh. 

'Peadar!' A voice cried out from the cluster of bemired people. Looking up from his position he saw Fang rushing to him, her feathers now muddied and her beautiful cyan eyes alight with worry. 

Her digitigrade legs swiftly carried her to him, throwing herself into his arms. She wept fiercely into his neck. 'By the imps you are alive! I was convinced you died when it drove you through the wall!' 

Peadar made a painful sound, his back starting to remember making impact and breaking through the limestone. 

'It will take more than that to kill me,' his wheezing chuckle cut short, when he moved stretched his back. 

'We shall keep that in mind, asar.' A regal voice spoke behind them. Turning around Peadar saw a golden palanquin, drapped in red silks and trimmed with pearls carried by large, scantily clad minotaurs. Their horns broken and capped with gold. 

The gathering crowd gasped in astonishment, all falling down to bow in respect to their lady.

Inside the lash and extravagant palanquin sat a regal woman, masked, her orange hair sparkling. The Good Preditioness seemed to be outfitted for battle, she wore a red pauldron on her left shoulder and a single golden sleeve on her right. Instead of a skirt, she wore plated trousers and her torso was painted to emulate a screaming horned devil. 

'My Good Preditioness,' Peadar lowered his head. 'I have slain this demon for you.' 

'Hm. Yes, it seems so,' she muttered, her red lips curling with contempt, 'But you forget yourself, I have never authorised such action.' 

'My Good Preditioness,' Fang shot up, taloned hands formed in a first, 'the asar did what must be done, for the good of the town, your husband -'

'Do not speak of my husband! In his absence, I rule - and I say this man acted in violation of the law,' the hellish lady was red in face, matching her lips and hair. 

'And as such he must be punished.' She stood up slowly, her painted finger pointed at Peadar. 'Guards, arrest this seditious asar.' 

Heavy boots sloshed through the mud, grasping Peadar tightly.