The Mercenary

He did it. The corpse of the demon lord was there, lifeless at last.

Alexander laughed, he had finally done it, the longer the battle had raged the more impossible it seemed, but he'd done it. Like the real heroes of legends he'd slain the demon and saved the world!

"Diana! I did it!" He turned to his oldest companion and lover, "I did it, just like you said I could!"

But Diana was silent, laying several paces away her body twisted into odd angles.

Alexander crawled to her, too exhausted to walk. "Diana?" He scooped her up and turned her face towards him...what was left of it. All that remained of the priestess' lovely face was her right eye and brow, the swipe that had taken the rest of it away had torn all the way down to her waist. Her armor was in tatters and the parts of her that had remained in contact with the ground were stained in blood.

Alexander reeled in shock and looked around again, calling out to his companions, "Yumi!? Xavier!? Helena!?!" But there were no replies, as he looked he recognized pieces of his friends scattered around the dark throne room. Every last one of them too damaged for even resurrection to be possible.

Tears streamed down his face, Alexander had been so focused on the fight that he'd failed to notice his friends falling. So absorbed with his desperation and the promise of personal glory if he managed to slay the evil fiend.

The dark lord Xenrdomus had proven to be more powerful than expected, sphinxes were fabled for their knowledge and intellect. But ascending to the status of Demon Lord had grown her magical power exponentially. Not to mention what seemed like endless swarms of dark minions compelled into the service of their master.

Alexander was sure that on the of their master the minions would flee, and he was correct. His friends had been holding the hoards at bay while he focused on the legendary demon. But the final blow came too late to save his comrades. Yumi must have been the last one standing and destroyed herself in a magical explosion that gave Alexander the opening he needed for a lethal blow.

But as shock turned to sorrow, and sorrow to despair Alexander also felt his rage rise in his heart faster than the bile rose to his lips. Mustering what strength he had left he ran to his sword and thrust it again and again into the dead lump of corrupted flesh.

"Give them back!"

"Turn back the clocks and let them live!"

"Don't take them away from me!"

Shouts echoed in the empty room until the clatter of a sword falling to the floor. All that remained were sobs, "I don't want to be alone."

If his vision weren't so blurry from the tears Alexander would have seen the darkness rising from the dead. But he did hear the chuckle, a deep, sultry, condescending chuckle.

"Where did the hero go who rudely stormed into my home? Where are the boasts about the invincible warrior? The holy calling?"

Alexander fell back in alarm, "You're dead! I killed you myself!"

"Yes you did," the disembodied voice continued, "But you should have done more research before challenging me. TEN THOUSAND YEARS of warnings were written about me, and you don't know any of them. I am the immortal Xenrdomu, what you killed was my vessel. And now you will possess all my powers and I will possess you."

"You cannot possess me! I'm bless by the gods and my soul is pure!"

Chilling laughter echoed in deafening intensity, "Who told you that? I was there when your gods were born. I know all their secrets and all their weaknesses. They would not challenge me directly for fear that I might possess them too. No, mortal, you are their sacrifice to me. Someday I will consume you and I will be free again, but until that day you will be my immortal master and we will be together both body and soul."

Alexander began to pray for divine deliverance, but none came.