Continued from S3-4-6: To Feed the Whisperer's Hunger. An angry red glow and the sound of lumbering, heavy feet echoed from the side passage, drawing Rynard’s attention from the cowering cultists, and splitting Syn’s between it and Capello. Then, with an unearthly bellow, the beast lurched into view, sending Teshwan’s faithful into horrified flight. Even Verga shrank from the sight of the demonic creature she had no idea that her brother had summoned, as it lumbered forward toward them with red light and scolding heat leaking from the cracks of its stone-like skin, but Capello only laughed the laugh of a mad man as he beamed with pride at his beast. “Send their souls to our master, Teshwan!” he commanded with evil glee. If Syn and Rynard would not join his followers, their sacrifice would win him the Hungry Whisperers favor. The demon bayed its acceptance and lunged into battle. But Syn and Rynard had faced such beasts before, and immediately split, circling in opposite directions to force the creature to choose one target while leaving the other free to attack. The beast turned toward Syn first, and Rynard caught its unguarded flank. His virtuous broadsword bit into the demon’s rock-like hide, its lawful magic allowing it to wound the thing when normal steel would have skidded off harmlessly. Bellowing in pain, the demon turn and swung its massive arm wildly at the Filkharian rogue, but missed by inches. Then, Syn attacked to distracted monster, his demonic greatsword swirling in a deadly arch, cutting deep through its torso and discharging bolts of electricity across its hide, causing the lumbering beast to clench its side and howl in pain as it turned back toward him. Capello watched in horrid surprise as Syn and Rynard circled his demon, hacking and slashing into the near mindless beast in well coordinated attacks. While both Verga and Nykira quickly gained hope that they could slay the monster. A feat none of them would have believed possible just moments before. The battle raged with the beast taking more and more damage from the experience adventurers, but they both knew that a single blow from his wicked claws would likely kill them, and the heat that it gave off was rapidly draining Rynard’s strength. Although the ward pack against fire on Syn’s demonic armor protected him from it. With the demon turning back toward him, having just been distracted by Rynard again, Syn lunged under it wildly swung attack and pierced its stomach. Thrusting deep into it and sending another web of electric bolts racing across its hide, he turned his back into it and cut forward over his shoulder, cleaving the beast from its gut to its throat. For a moment the monster stood looming over the Dragon Lord’s back, its feeble brain unable to comprehend its own death, but then it crashed backward shattering against the hard ground into a pile of rapidly cooling stones. Turning toward Capello, Syn advanced in measured steps with a look of cold, deadly anger on his face, and blue hellfire ablaze in his eyes. To be continued on S3-4-8: Let the Truth be Told. The seventh installment in the fourth book of my Stormbringer characters' adventures. Thanks for looking... Hope you enjoy! Comments and suggestions always welcome and appreciated!