Grim blew off the front doors of the Chinese restraurant. They both went flying in, hitting the front desk and exploding into dust.
Dressed in armor and a thick cloak, he stormed into the place. Tattooed men got up and headed his way – Grim raised a hand and three demons exploded out of the floor. One swiped a claw and destroyed the fish tank that was there, water and fish spilling all over the floor.
The Tsoo guards stopped short, and a couple went at the demons. With an infernal roar, Belial threw a fireball at them, and they all caught fire. That didn’t stop them as they still kept coming.
Most of them got one hit in before collapsing into a burning heap. Grim came out from behind them, and smiled at a bald man sitting quietly at a booth. “Olee Siao,” and he continued in Hmong, “I have been sent to kill you.”
“With those?” Siao muttered something, and the demons turned to stone, then cracked loudly. Grim knew what was coming, and pulled out his swords. He dove to the side as his frozen demons exploded into dust. The dust was a cover for Siao to run, but Grim knew that and jumped ahead of him.
He stood in front of him and pointed one sword at his chest, the other held loosely at his side. “No,” said Grim, “With these.” He swung the other sword at Siao, but he disappeared in another puff of smoke. Muttering darkly, he passed a hand over his eyes and made a motion to create the Rune of Seeing.
He could see the magical patterns in the room, and they resoved so he could see where Siao had disappeared to – the kitchen. He was heading to a door.
Thrusting the swords into his belt, Grim literally flew through the kitchen. He saw him throw open the fire exit, and Grim tackled him. The two rolled around in the alley, the swords scratching the pavement. Siao was stronger than Grim, but Grim hadn’t taken Kalius’ training for nothing. Siao was on top of him and threw a punch to Grim’s face. Grim moved his head knowing it was coming from the Seeing and felt the fist barely miss him and slam into the pavement.
Siao swore in Hmong, which Grim partially understood as dog shit. Grim jerked up his head and cracked it into Siao’s. Siao wasn’t expecting it and loosened up. Grim then punched him hard in the kidney, but the man didn’t climb off him. He struggled, but couldn’t get his sword out.
However, Siao got up, and had one of Grim’s sword in his hands – he had grabbed the handle and cut the sword free of his belt. Grim was left with the secondary dagger.
Siao swung, not high to cut off Grim’s head, but to disembowl him. Grim jumped back but got slit anyway. It wasn’t deep, but it hurt. For a moment, Grim was concentrating on the pain, and the next moment, the sword was coming at him again.
The sorcerer knew what he was doing as he was going for Grim’s neck. Instead of jumping back, Grim dove right at him, getting the sword in his side, slicing through his kidney, liver, and other internal organs, stopping at the spine. The man twisted the sword to get it out.
With a roar of agony and a look of pure fury on his face, Grim grabbed the man by the jacket. His left hand became intangible. He thrust it into Siao’s chest and yelled in his face in triumph as the man’s life force flooded him.
It killed the pain immediately, so he could concentrate. He could See the life force as a river of black water, flowing from his hand to the wounds first, sealing them and healing them from the inside out. Siao’s eyes sunk into his head, and his body quickly turned into a husk, shrivelling up like a mummy.
He was alive as long as Grim kept his hand inside him. Once healed, Grim yanked his hand out of the dried out flesh. The bag of bones that had once been a man collapsed to the pavement, dying. He wouldn’t be long, as he could even now see the soul rising up from the body, furious at Grim. Grim’s arm was covered in blood up to the elbow.
Grim took a deep breath. He hadn’t done that before; it just came as an instant reaction. This is what Nerathul had done for him, how he made him immortal. He would take others lives and energy for his own. He should feel guilty about that. He didn’t.
Grim bent down and searched the body as the doors flew open and more Tsoo came out. Again, they stopped short at seeing the mummy on the ground. Grim pulled off the man’s two rings, and glanced up at the Tsoo.
In silence, he took to the air.
Words: 831
Inspiration: Harry Dresden’s first book (blowing through the doors). Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (putting his hand through Siao’s chest). Animation for Dark Armored tank (swords, life sucking).
Music: Kalki, e.s. Posthumus (Grim’s theme song)