"Besides!" the imp continued, encouraged by the response of his brothers. "Only idiot humans like these would ever dream of attacking us! We're the most powerful race on the planet, superior to every other creature, even the dragons! There's no reason to go through so much – Gahk!"
The imp's words were stopped short as Gorn threw his sword at the imp. It spiraled like a pinwheel, mowing down dozens of imps like stalks of grass. As the imp that had spoken up dropped to the floor, its torso split at the waist, the sword zipped through the air and landed in Gorn's open palm.
The entire thing happened in less than a second, the sheer speed with which the sword flew through the air making Fate worry about the demon's strength. As Gorn flicked his sword violently, the blood flinging off and splattering the floor, he returned his gaze to the humans.
"I would not have been woken up if they were easy to deal with," he said over his shoulder to the cowering imps. "The truth is, we are barely at the level of these humans. A dragon could crush us just as easily as we crush a bug under our feet. So, I suggest that before you dumb goats open your mouths again, you think long and hard about what you're about to say.
"As for you six… whatever my appearance may suggest, and despite what I'm sure you believe is true about our race, I am an imp of honor. Choose one amongst you to duel me. If your champion bests me, I give my word that we shall let you go free."
"Not a chance," the sergeant said.
"Wait, sarge, that actually sounds like a good deal," Bregg said hurriedly.
"We have a job to do, dipshit. We're the Guard, we took an oath. We go home with a mountain of imps under our feet or not at all," Brent reprimanded.
"That's easy for you to say. You already have a foot in the grave, you old geezer!" Gus exclaimed. "Unlike you, we have full lives ahead of us!"
"I wouldn't expect a *private* to understand," snarled Brent. "People are relying on us. Lives are at stake."
"And what about our lives, huh? Are we not important?"
"All of you, shut it!" the sergeant yelled. "Gus, Bregg, you two are going to face the Council when we get back. I'll see to it that your future in the Guard is cut off entirely because it's obvious you don't believe in the cause. And don't think about stabbing me in the back, either. Our armor records everything in real-time and sends it back to the Royal Palace, as I'm sure you're aware."
"I care not for your petty squabbles," Gorn growled. "Choose a champion, or I'll strike all of you down."
"I'd like to see you try, goatfucker!" the sergeant scowled. "We'll put you in the ground where you bel – "
"I'll do it," Higgs said suddenly, turning to the sergeant.
"What?" the sergeant asked, looking at Higgs like he had grown a second head.
"I'll fight him. While I distract him, you five take care of the vermin." Higgs stepped forward, slicking back his blonde hair as earth flowed along his body, smoothing out and brightening until he was covered from head to toe in metal pulled from the mountain.
'That's right. These were mines at one point,' Fate recalled.
"I don't think so," the shaman said gruffly, waving his hands. Two walls of Mana rose, one encircling the group of five and another boxing in Higgs and Gorn. At the same time, the swords vanished from the hands of the humans, leaving Higgs weaponless. "You will watch your friend be slaughtered, and then you will join him."
"Don't worry, guys. This guy doesn't look so tough," Higgs said reassuringly.
He turned back to Gorn, circling the towering demon with his fists raised in a boxer stance. Higgs' height increased with every second as he pulled more and more earth and stone from the ground until he was as tall as Gorn. Gorn simply stood in the middle of the impromptu arena, head swiveling as he kept Higgs within his sight.
With a shout, Higgs rushed forward, ducking under a swing of Gorn's massive sword and sidestepping a swipe from the imp's tower shield as he lunged forward, punching the demon square in the jaw. Gorn's head jerked to the side, an audible crack ringing out. As Higgs retracted his fist, Gorn repositioned his head, grinning madly as he looked down at the man's hand.
Following the behemoth's gaze, Fate saw that Higgs' earthy fist had crumbled to dust, along with the rest of that arm. His normal arm was now on display, the shortness of it compared to his still-intact other earth arm giving him a lopsided appearance. Blood dripped down the Guard's knuckles. Gorn's smile widened, revealing sharp canines among the stumpy teeth of herbivores.
"My turn." Fate blinked, the flash of Gorn's sword blinding him, only to be greeted by a horrible sight when he opened his eyes. Gorn was still in the same position as before, having not moved at all from what he could tell. Higgs, though…
The brave soldier split down the middle, his two halves flopping to the floor as his earthen armor crumbled upon impact. The construct no longer hiding it, Fate could plainly see the stupefied expression on each half of Higgs' face. The Guard didn't even know how he had died. Fate only now noticed the blood on Gorn's sword, previously having missed it due to the weapon's red blade.
Gorn shook his head in mock sorrow, his skin glowing faintly as the air around him warped. Fate recognized the effects from the sergeant's briefing. Higgs had used Mana in his final moments, kickstarting the brute's heating ability.
As he watched, the glow went from as bright as an ember to brighter than even his sword. The demon turned into a miniature sun, the stone under his feet bubbling as he sunk ankle-deep in molten rock.
"A brave warrior, but not a good one," Gorn said sorrowfully. "Because of his courage, I shall allow you to assign one more champion. If this one fails, we shall kill the lot of you."