Claws met steel with a harsh clang as the black knight's greatsword was caught mid-swing by Barbados's right hand, the demon's jagged claws locking onto the blade without flinching.
"Charging without hesitation? I like it!" Barbados snarled, mandibles clicking in a sharp rhythm of excitement. He lunged with his left hand, claws slicing through the air toward the black knight's head.
The black knight released his grip on the greatsword and pivoted back, narrowly evading the swipe. The claws passed inches from his helmet, the rush of displaced air ruffling his cloak[1] as he landed lightly on his feet.
"Any help would be appreciated!" he called out, irritation leaking into his usually composed tone as he reset his stance.
"I'm working on it," Derek replied, already stepping further away, fingers lazily twitching as if preparing a spell. "Takes a while to charge up."
A lie, of course.
Barbados turned his attention briefly, the greatsword still clutched in his hand—now held in reverse grip as if it weighed nothing.
"Oh, is he your trump card?" he asked, eyes locking onto Derek. Then, raising the black knight's own weapon above his head, he sneered, "Then I should take care of him first!"
He crouched slightly, muscles coiling to launch—
—CLANG!
Barbados's entire body jolted as something struck the top of his head with brutal force. His grip loosened, the greatsword slipping from his claws and clattering to the ground. He looked down, confused—just in time to see a shadowy leg pushing up from the weapon's surface.
Within seconds, a full-bodied shadow clone of the black knight rose from the sword, seamlessly gripping the weapon in a mirrored stance.
At the same moment, the real black knight conjured a new shadow greatsword into his grasp, stepping forward in sync with his doppelgänger.
"I may look like a knight and talk like one," he said calmly, voice now edged with menace, "but goddess help you if you think I fight like one."
Barbados hissed, eyes narrowing, mandibles twitching in fury. "Cowardly insect!" he bellowed, backing up as the two knights advanced side by side.
A crash followed behind them as Lennix finally landed—or rather, slammed—into the dirt with a violent thud.
"Look who's talking," he groaned, pushing himself up with a wince. "Second time a demon's tossed me. Really starting to hate it."
"Help me!" the black knight barked, eyes locked on Barbados.
Lennix grimaced from the base of the tree he'd crashed into, really not in the mood to fight another named, horned demon. Still, he dragged himself upright with a groan and flexed his fingers. Claws extended with a wet snap, glinting in the light.
Barbados's four eyes darted between the real black knight and his clone. He let out a growl before charging, his steps heavy, earth cracking beneath him.
The black knights moved in tandem—one sweeping low at the legs, the other swinging horizontally at the chest. Barbados raised both arms, blocking the twin strikes with thick, armored forearms. He started to twist his leg for a counterattack—
"Hiya!" Lennix shouted, leaping in from behind. He slashed down across Barbados's back—
—or at least, he tried to.
His claws struck the demon's chitin with a harsh skreech but lodged halfway in, stuck fast in the hardened exoskeleton.
"Oh come on!" Lennix shouted.
Barbados snarled and snapped a leg back, catching Lennix square in the ribs. The impact cracked like thunder, hurling the vampire through the air and into a thick tree trunk with a brutal crack.
He hit the ground with a groan, coughing once as his body started knitting itself back together. "Ugh… I swear these things just feel useless sometimes," he muttered, glaring down at his claws as bone began resetting beneath his skin.
Meanwhile, the black knights had both released their grips on their swords mid-swing. Their freed fists struck Barbados's chest in synchronized blows that made the demon stagger.
Barbados reached to counter with the very weapons they'd dropped—only to snarl in surprise as the blades dissolved into black mist in his hands. A heartbeat later, they reformed in the knights' grasps once more, blades slashing in perfect rhythm from opposite sides.
Off to the side, Derek knelt beside Lennix, masking his calm behind a layer of concern.
"You alright?" he asked, voice tense.
"I'll heal," Lennix grunted, wincing as a rib snapped back into place with a sick pop. "Not easy to kill a vampire, after all."
Derek nodded, eyes flicking toward the ongoing battle. Barbados batted aside one slash and ducked the other before hammering down with his claws, only for the clone to intercept the strike.
"He's really impressive, isn't he?" Derek said, watching the black knight hold his own.
Lennix gave a tired nod. "Yeah… sucks I can't seem to do much, though."
Derek glanced at him, feigning casual. *Let's help you catch up,* he thought.
"Maybe you're just… too limited," Derek offered. "You can shapeshift, right? That's how your claws work? If that's how vampire stuff works?"
Lennix tilted his head. "I guess? I mean, yeah, I think that's how it works. But it kinda just happens. I think about claws, and then they grow."
Derek resisted the urge to rub his face. *Does he seriously not know anything about using his blood!?* he thought, biting his tongue.
"If that's the case, why not imagine something else? Not sharp—something heavy. Blunt." He stopped just shy of saying use your blood to shape your body, you idiot!
Lennix blinked at him. For a second he just stared—then his eyes widened, mouth parting like Derek had just unlocked the secrets of the universe.
"Oh! Good idea!"[2]
He flexed his fingers, willing the claws to retract, his hands shifting back to normal. Then he focused—not on something sharp this time, but blunt, heavy. His imagination lit the spark, and his blood answered. It surged through his arms, concentrating in his hands, pooling around his knuckles. Bone thickened, flesh shifted, muscles tightened. Lennix watched as his knuckles grew more pronounced, heavier, denser—until a jagged layer of hardened bone formed across them, like natural brass knuckles molded from within.
"Holy shit, I did it!" Lennix exclaimed, standing up with a feral grin, flashing a fang. He cracked his new knuckles, the sound echoing like breaking rocks.
"Time to mess up a demon."
[1] Oh yeah, he's wearing a cloak now, I forgot to mention that last chapter.
-The Narrator.
[2] God. This man is borderline braindead.
-The Editor.