[Drazniich]

Belial mused over his present situation. Here he was, traveling with one of his biggest mistakes. Worse than that, he was traveling and couldn't use his full force. "Damn you two..." he thought. They woke up a sleeper to chase him down. They couldn't take on a bastard demon by themselves, of course. But they could get Zera-shaal, a moving engine of destruction, to either destroy him or everything around him.

He looked down at the carnasur. A mount he wasn't really used to. He reigned it to a stop. The three looked back, stopping as well. "Why'd you stop?" Nichi raised an eyebrow.

Belial took his cane from his side. He drew a circle in the ground around the beast. "Anyone not fueled by anguish may wish to cover their eyes." he warned. Black symbols began to form outside the circle. He swung his cane out and downward from his side, and it extended into a whip.

"With the blood of this beast, I demand a minion." Belial shouted. He lashed across the carnasur's side. Blood poured down, and black flames consumed the area inside the circle. When they subsided, standing there was an obligitory winged nightmare. Flames gouted from it's mane, its feet glowing with hellfire. It reared, and turned towards the party.

Nichi didn't even break stride. The sword came out and forward almost as fast as his mount paniced. Faced with dicipline from the rider and the raw, primal fear the nightmare produced, he chose to rear. Nichi forced it back down and aimed to swing.

With a cry, Malice drew his daggers and lept. He landed on the creature's wing. He dug both knives in, but the creature seemed to barely notice. His wingbeat sent the warrior up about thirty feet, and the nightmare kicked him for distance on the way down. It began to grow as Malice's mount turned to run.

Magus rode in on the left, with Nichi on the right, attempting to cut straight across it. They looked back, and flames spewed from the wounds. They quickly sealed however, and with a snort gouting flames from its nose, it paced forward, murder in its eyes.

Belial stepped in the way, meeting its gaze. "Stop." he said firmly. The nightmare stepped up, face to face with the greater demon.

It growled, its eyes aflame. Belial grabbed its mane with both hands, headbutting it repeatedly till it stumbled to the ground.

The others moved in for the kill, with the exception of Malice, who walked up holding his chest. Belial laughed loudly, much to Nichi's fury.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Belial asked.

"WHAT? YOU SUMMONED-" Nichi began.

"I was talking to the horse." Belial snapped. "Now, get up."

The nightmare stumbled to its feet. It looked around hazily. Belial hopped on its back.

"Shall we?" he started forward again.

"I hate him so very, very much." Nichi muttered.

"I am starting to agree." Malice winced.

Belial looked back. "I'm insane, not deaf." he laughed.

Malice considered throwing a dagger to the back of Belial's head. The creature he rode seemed rather docile now, but severe concussions can do that.

Magus rode up beside him. "About how we don't invite new evil..." he said.

"What about it?" Belial looked over.

"We don't invite new evil to join us!" Magus shouted. "What if-"

Belial held a finger to his lips. "There is no what if. There is only a carefully considered outcome." he said quietly. "Either it is or it isn't, but you can stack the odds in your favor, and you know to always split a pair of eights."

Nichi hurried up to Belial as well. "Don't ever, ever do that again, or you're gonna pay dearly."

Belial slowed down a bit. "Nichi, its a practicality issue. My mount needs no food nor water, just a little fear. Attempt to slay it again and we will have WORDS." Belial smiled the grin of a man who has a hand full of aces.

Nichi smiled back. "And then I suppose that Zera-shaal shall notice your presence?"

Magus rolled his eyes. The image popped in his head of the thing searching for Belial. He shuddered. "You're being chased by that?"

Belial froze. "How do you know about him?"

Malice came riding up fast. "What the hell is a sleeper?" he asked.

Nichi answered before Belial could speak. "I was wondering who was watching our duel in my dream. He's wasn't there when we fought, but he was there last night."

Magus considered very carefully what he'd just seen. He cracked his knuckles. "This is the point where bringing you along starts to suck, right?"

"When my abilites are needed, they will be used." Belial said sharply. "A sleeper is a demon so horrific in its power that it needs constant sin around it to function. When stuck in the abyss long enough, it runs out of energy and falls into hibernation. This one is a destruction beast, meaning the more it smashes, the stronger and faster it can move. Only those who are careful can stand against it, and guess what?" Belial asked.

They all looked at him. "WHat?" Nichi finally said.

"Evil powers cannot hurt it." Belial said. "Only those with good intentions can hope to wound it. So, in short, it finds me, it tears everything apart until it gets me."

Malice was the first to pick up on it. Nichi and Magus realized it a split second later. "You need us." Magus said. Malice rolled his eyes.

"It kinda was gonna go unspoken." Malice glared at Magus. "But that doesn't make it any less true."

Belial cracked his neck. "Listen, and listen well, because I hate repeating myself. Yes, I can't stop Zera-shaal. Yes, you can. Yes, I need you to help me should it find me, and based on your performance and of course, choice of company-" he winked at Nichi, who stared stone faced. "I figured you would be a good group to do it."

Belial gripped his cane angrily. "And yes, that also means that you have me, so to speak, behind the eightball. Name your price for this one. Other than, of course, my near armageddon like powers in your corner against these damn intruders. With Zera-shaal out of the picture, those who woke him up will have to come for a reckoning, and once I dispatch them, I can bend the little... 'friendly to the locals' policy, if only to save you all."

He looked onto the horizon. "An odd twist, making the demon parley with the damn mortals."