The Demon Lord And His Hero

That night, a great fire broke out and it couldn't be put out with water because of its magical nature. The fire burnt blue and white, indicating the use of a chemical made from the powder of arcane crystals.

"That's an expensive fire," Rowan commented.

The two beach bums were on the roof of the house, watching blue fire take over the town, far from where they had settled down.

"The war ends tonight, doesn't it?"

"Yes. I expect Artemus will reveal his hand tonight and finish what he started."

____

Bella's territory was in shambles. The fire had done a hell of damage to the town. Such a fire couldn't sustain itself without a steady supply of powder but her men couldn't figure out who or what had been adding to the fire and making it spread. They didn't know that Artemus had hidden sachets of the powder in a carefully mapped out network across town. He had done this before allowing himself to be found by Bella's men.

Mustering the abilities of her anti mages, the fire was put out but Red Sun and the Iron Raiders were already in her territory. The confusion caused by the fire had allowed the infiltrators to successfully and bloodlessly enter her territory. Now there was a standoff between Bella's faction and the united Red Raiders, so named during their temporary partnership.

Bella stood behind a line of bodyguards that shielded her from attack. Her black high collar dress and the distinctive eye patch identified the woman despite being behind a shield of men.

Artemus, Jorah, and Ringo, the leader of the Iron Raiders, stood together ahead of the army of men they were leading.

"Give it up Bella," Jorah told the woman. "It's over. I'll spare you if you do a year of community service for my men." A chorus of laughter ensued at his dirty comment. "See that? My boys have wanted to have a taste of a strong woman. They don't even mind sharing."

Syryn and Rowan weren't missing out on what was an exciting time on Coop. Disguised in dark cloaks, they evaded the detection of Bella's men and were atop a roof, watching the events unfold on the ground.

"I'm tempted to fight for Bella and have her win," Syryn said in a low voice. "Artemus could have chosen better."

"Perhaps it was his circumstances that forced him to choose the smaller factions."

Meanwhile, Bella remained silent. It wasn't worth the effort replying to a crass comment delivered by a crass man. It was the dark-haired one who attracted her attention.

"You survived the hanging and you even escaped the mouths of my pets. I commend you Artemus."

The anti mage acknowledged her words with a nod. "It has been a pleasure working with you, Bella."

Ringo chuckled at Artemus' words. "You mean it was a pleasure working with the bitch."

Artemus was in a dark suit reminiscent of what he used to wear back in Elysium. Hands in his pocket, the anti mage stood next to Ringo looking far too cool and standoffish. Jorah and Ringo both resented him for overshadowing their combined presence even though he made no effort to.

"I meant what I said," Artemus replied. "Gentleman, it was a pleasure working with the two of you."

The attack came unexpectedly. The dark-haired anti mage moved like the wind and slit Ringo's throat. Even as his body fell, the anti mage moved in a flash towards Jorah who snapped out of his shock and defended himself. But it was too late for him. A dagger came from behind his back and went right into his neck. Jorah made a gurgling sound as blood poured out of his mouth and he fell to his knees.

"Oh snap..." Syryn loudly said in shock. "Artemus was a double agent?"

Rowan was impressed by what the anti mage had accomplished. "I think I've figured out where Robin is."

"Is it the one who stabbed the Red Sun guy?" Syryn asked, voice rising a pitch because of how excited he was.

"Bella is Robin."

"Whaaaaat?!"

"I hadn't recognised her because of the disguise she's wearing. But it makes sense, doesn't it?"

Artemus' smooth escape, the lack of a proper defensive move by Bella, the reason why Robin had missing - they all clicked to form a perfect answer.

Over at Artemus' side, it wasn't over yet. The massive army of dumbfounded Red Raiders hadn't yet reacted to the sudden development. Their leaders were dead. What did it mean? Several men began getting ideas about the now empty leadership spots. But Artemus and Bella were in their way.

"Kill that traitor!!" A hoarse voice shouted from the Red Raider's side. "Cut his heart out and feed his body to the dogs!"

Artemus reached into his pocket and removed what appeared to be a glass ball swirling with blue liquid. He threw it to the ground and it broke into pieces. His partner, the person who had stabbed Jorah did the same. Plumes of grey smoke quickly enveloped the place he stood at, becoming a barrier between him and the Red Raiders who were fainting in great numbers wherever the smoke reached them. Artemus, a dark shadow in the smoke, walked out of the grey and joined Robin, now Bella, who welcomed him with a smile.

"Good work, Artemus."

"No thanks to you, Bella," he replied in a dry tone. "You're lucky I showed up when I did."

Behind the wall of smoke, the Red Raiders were on the ground, spasming and seizing. Seeing their comrades suffering, the others backed away from the smoke. They had no single leadership to guide them so it became a free for all. The united faction broke apart into smaller groups led by individuals who held smaller positions of power under Jorah and Ringo. They fled in different directions, hoping to regroup and carve out their own territories in the land of the Red Raiders.

"Send the your men to clean up the scene," Artemus told Bella. "I'm done here.. The rest is up to you."