The child was tied to a bed, for the pleasure of the trolls. The demon lashed like lightning with one clawed hand, ripping the throat out of the nearest of the trolls. As the corpse hit the floor, the second troll took an iron from a brass kettle, probably intended as a torture for the girl. The demon snaked his tail to the left, while stepping to his right. The troll stood like marble, confused and terrified, before the stinger sank deep into its neck, and the demon took a step back, toward the gaping doorway. The troll’s wound turned a deep shade of green, then started to spread, the toxin consuming its blood, turning bone and tissue to jelly. The monster flailed to the floor, continuing to dissolve even after it stopped breathing. The demon’s eyes caught those of the girl, and then he smiled, all the glee of death in his face.
“Tell them,” his thunderous voice echoed, “the Void is returning. Let them fear us.” He pointed at ropes binding the girl, and they sprang alive, twirling themselves straight, and the girl curled into a ball, whimpering. The demon turned, tail lashing from side to side, and stalked back out the door. “Tell them Tenari is coming, and Darkness will follow.”
