Free Reborn 10 - Demonic Valor by D.W. Jackson

couldn’t contain his smile as a large floating scythe was hanging above the man’s head.
    Raising his hand Ash activated light arrow. As a small three inch long arrow flew toward the horse Ash activated the spell three more times. Light arrow was still weak, it was one of the few abilities he had that could be used at a distance of more than fifty yards with any precision.
    When the first arrow hit the flank of the horse it reared up allowing the next two to strike at its exposed chest. While the three arrows only caused flesh wounds to the horse it was enough to send it into a frenzy bucking its rider from its back. Ash didn’t care about the horse and used one more light arrow to make it run in the opposite direction. Ash couldn’t help but to cringe when he saw the massive horse trample two soldiers and a demon in its attempt to escape.
    Ash rushed forward not waiting to give the man on the ground a chance to regain his footing before attacking. It was true that Ash was hoping for a real fight but when he was faced off against someone marked for death he would rather have it over quickly. That way his target would have no chance to escape. The call of the experience and abilities was just too great to deny.
    Before Ash knew what was happening he heard a loud horn signal not too far away and suddenly everything changed. The soldiers were no longer trying to fight but instead they were trying to retreat. Ash was currently at the edge of the battlefield but he just happened to be at the end where all the soldiers had decided to flee toward.
    With such a large force rushing toward him Ash had only one choice to keep his prey. Rushing forward Ash used his MP to bring up a wall of earth around him and the other man. Since he had little time to think about it a soldier who was rushing past at the moment got caught in the formation of the earth wall covering all of him but his right arm and part of his head.
    Ash could see the man’s face turn red as he was denied oxygen and the feeble attempts to break free as her arm moved wildly. Then as quickly as it had begun the man’s face lost its color and his eye lost slowly dimmed as life left his body.
    “A bad way to die,” the enemy soldier said as he got to his feet and shaking his head. Ash looked at his and held his sword tightly ready to attack. The man didn’t move and instead slammed his sword down burying it nearly a foot into the ground. Thinking that he was up to something Ash took a half step back while lowering his center of gravity.
    The other man let out a chuckle as his right hand moved to his shoulder and within a few seconds his thick armor banged to the ground exposing a another layer of leather armor. Next the man pulled the helm from his head and tossed it aside. Within the space of a few heartbeats he was standing in front of Ash while his metal armor lay on the ground at his feet.
    “I don’t know why you are removing your armor,” Ash said without moving. “Even if you surrender I would still take your head. You have been marked by the goddess for death.”
    “Oh,” the man said with a surprised look on his face. “I wonder what I did to gain her ire. Though maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, this war alone would probably have gained me that mark. You don’t have to worry though I am not surrendering it is just hard to fight on the ground when weighed down. It is great on horseback though,” the man said his voice light and carefree as if he were simply discoing the weather over a cup of afternoon tea.
    “Shall we get started,” the man said as he pulled his sword free of the ground. “I don’t think I want to wait for the rest of your friends to get here.”
    Though the man’s sword was only a few inches shorter than he was and the blade was half as wife, he was able to wield it as if it weight nothing. When the first strike lashed out, ash quickly brought his own sword up to parry but the blow was so heavy that his sword was almost