This hybrid could heal itself. Now he fully understood why they wanted Nieka so badly and wanted her alive. He risked a glance at the girl for he'd seen a hybrid reach her out of his peripheral just as the self-healing one pulled out the knife. She had stabbed it in the side, which would just piss it off...
But instead of pulling the knife out, she held it in, using it to keep the demon relatively still. Then she quickly jabbed the base of its neck with the side of her hand. The thing sagged to its boney knees. Resourceful he thought with a small smile bringing his attention back to his own threat.
Another had reached him, and he reacted on reflex, slashing its outstretched hands as he side-stepped the charging foe. Its hand went flying and a forearm partially severed, hung by the skin at the elbow. The self-healing demon came at him again while he was busy hacking up yet another of its kind. It went for his throat, and he was barely able to get his arm up in time to block its lethal path.
He let the claws sink into his arm then yanked his arm to the side, leaving an opening in its defense. Taking the opportunity, he ran it through with his short sword dodging the Demons teeth as it lunged. Takal yanked out his sword with a good twist, the wide blade spilling both blood and entrails. The demon shrieked in pain letting go of his arm. He wasted no time taking another swing as the demon tried to shove his intestines back in before he healed. This time Takal took its head clean off. Now if it healed from that he'd never sleep well again.
He glanced again at the girl fighting beside him. She was trying to stab her felled demon in the chest but couldn't get through the bone; instead, it just fell over on its back still paralyzed. The demon had a few other wounds where she must have struck it before but failed to actually kill it.
Another flying demon was diving at her as she was distracted with her current target, he ran the short distance using his magic to aid his speed and redirect the demon's angle of descent toward him; slicing off its ugly head as it spread its wings to try and fight his pull.
The girl was kneeling over the body now, she tried stabbing it in the heart once more with both hands on the hilt. The lightweight throwing knife snapped at the handle. Instead of giving up she took the sharp half and stabbed it in the demon's throat instead. She ripped the blade out threw the side, producing a large spray of blood.
She might not be highly skilled at demon combat or very strong but she was smart, brave, and defiantly not squeamish about blood. He had to admit he was wholeheartedly impressed with this girl.
The second wave was converging on them now and he could see Tornjak battling a winged beast about fifty yards away. Takal met the first of the five wingless hybrid demos from the second wave head-on to find that it could deflect his sword with magic just as he could move things with his mind.
He'd have to either trick him or overpower him with magic. He opted for both; he feigned an attack and then struck his real blow with added speed and force in case the thing had time to try and stop it. The demon fell to the ground in two pieces having been cut through the middle.
He glanced over at Nieka again; she had managed to skewer a demon in the back with her uselessly short blade and was currently using it as a shield against another, the force of the impact knocked her small frame to the ground trapping her under their weight. She couldn't pull her knife free but her living shield flailed at the other while also inadvertently protecting her if not squishing her.
Killing the last of the demons immediately surrounding him he darted threw the carnage of bodies and limbs to the girl's side. Then he ran his blade through the temple of the demon on top and flung it off to the side before killing two more.
He tried to go back and help her up but found he couldn't move. His legs were locked in place and his arms were being forced to his sides though no one was touching him. He fought against it using all his physical strength and his magic but was forced to his knees instead. One of the hybrids moved in front of him with a sneer of sharp teeth and yellow eyes.
Suddenly a knife went whistling several inches from his head and there was a disappointing double thud as it bounced off a target behind him and landed harmlessly in the grass.
He watched Nieka's face turn to panic before she turned and ran. She had given up her only weapon in an attempt to save him and had nothing left to fight with. The demon she had hit bounded past him on all fours. Using his magic again he overpowered the one demon in front of him and promptly beheaded it just in case it could heal too.
The other was catching up to the girl but she was too far away now for him to help her. Then Shadow raced in from the side and trampled the hybrid beneath her hooves. Takal breathed out a sigh of relief and then looked all around and above to assess their current situation.
Demon corpses littered the field; some still twitching but dead nonetheless. Tornjak was debauching another winged beast that had several arrows sticking out of it his horse nowhere to be seen. Nieka was stroking Shadow in thanks and he just couldn't believe they were all still alive. A glint of silver caught his eye in the grass and he picked up his broken throwing knife marred by blood.
Noises from the town were getting closer. He could see the tops of men caring torches, pitchforks, and swords heading their way. Another winged demon, with arrows sticking out of its scaly flesh shot into the sky and towards the woods in an attempt to flee. He didn't like the idea of a messenger returning home; possibly to return with reinforcements.
So, focusing his energy and taking careful aim he tossed one of his throwing knives far beyond an average throw and guided it to the base of the demon's skull. The great winged creature dropped from the sky.
He hoped no demons had escaped to report back to their lair. His magic was getting low, that battle of sheer power against the hybrids had waisted too much of his power. Another battle like that could result in him becoming weak and vulnerable; there would be little he could do to protect everyone if they had to face another attack like that anytime soon.
Takal did not like taking chances. He began taking inventory of the situation, the town, and its resources.