"HHHAAAAAAAARGH! *CLANK*" My sword clashed with my opponent in the fields of Onderon. The swamps of the northwest were the slaughtering grounds for thousands of the people in the local militia. As Cardan, the last leading officer still standing, I was left alone with a single enemy. I am a middle-aged man of a noble descent from the family of Oldeo. After the fall from grace of my family, losing all our riches and honor, I aimed to reclaim our heritage by founding a local militia and fighting for the protection of the lower people.
We were just trying to fight back when the succubi started dragging away the people of our village to take them to their realm. But in the end, it turned into a nightmare. The forces of the demons were much larger than we anticipated and we lost almost all of soldiers to the succubi.
We stood no chance, even as their companions fell to our attacks they didn't seem to be distraught by it in the least. It was as if even dying didn't remove the demon power stored within them. As if their power, even after death, still lived on.
But to me it didn't change anything. I slayed as many of their troops as I could before being left with only one opponent... a Dullahan. A fierce woman with silver hair, glaring red eyes and sturdy steel armor along with a two-handed great sword in hand.
We stood in the middle of the foggy swamp land. Harsh rain was rushing down on top of us and running down our faces. Her look was unfeeling and unwavering as she stared me down. She wasn't even heaving in the slightest.
"Come on, make your move, mortal! I don't fear you!" She called out to me with an emotionless, empty look on her face.
I was already out of breath from our battle as I raised my longsword in a last effort of attack. "*pant* Taunt me all you want, demon! I will not let you go through to Onderon and let you take the only few people left there as well!"
"You're a fool if you really want to stand in the way of the demon lord's will. Surrender now and there doesn't have to be any unnecessary bloodshed. But one way or another, at the end of the day Onderon will become a part of the demon realm." The woman braced her sword in an offensive stance, ready to face me.
I wordlessly raise my sword and step forward.
"So that's a no then? Shame." She said with an annoyed sigh before stepping towards me as well.
Her eyes turn determined as her first swing hits my blade. Sparks fly as our metal strikes together.
I lunge towards her, pushing her backwards in hopes that she would stagger. She didn't let up though and instead only fought back stronger and harder.
Every one of my swings is just easily brushed aside and I lose my strength bit by bit. I was just about to lose my last breath as I could see an opening. The Dullahan put her sword to the side and we were at a stalemate.
"Come on, mortal. You can't seriously be trying to keep this going on forever. Just surrender your village already, and give your land to the demon lord. We can still settle this peacefully."
In rage at her nonchalant attitude towards my people, I gripped my sword tightly and prepared for the last strike.
Before she could even ready her weapon, I lifted my sword over my head in a circular motion before striking at her head. My blade went right through her neck and sent her head flying as I decapitated her.
Her headless body stood before me and I was about to celebrate my hard-fought victory. "Haha! Take that, you monster! Nobody messes with Cardan Oldeo and gets away with it! This clan will never bow to the demon lord!" I raised my sword in ecstatic joy... but my victory was not long-lived.
I noticed that her decapitated body didn't plump to the ground and instead just kept standing there, sword still at the ready. It should come without saying but it's not supposed to be able to do that without a head.
It took a few seconds as I heard a plopping sound in between me and the headless body. It was the head of the Dullahan that landed on the muddy ground. Her face was facing towards me and it still moved despite being decapitated.
My mouth hung open in absolute disbelief as her head looked up to me with a deadpan face.
"*sigh* Nice going, idiot. Look what you've done now!" She said in irritated annoyance.
"I... this... you... uhhh!" Was all I could wring out as I tried to wrap my brain around the fact that a decapitated woman was speaking to me as her torso stands next to us, holding its hand to its hips, tapping its feet annoyedly.
Then a howling sound emitted from her body and a fountain of colorful souls shoots out from the spot where her head once was. It was as if I had opened Pandora's box. As I watched the flood of spirits, I recognized faces of my soldiers that were captured by the succubus army before as they floated towards the heavens.
The Dullahan looked at me from the corner of her eyes, her gaze cold and hateful. "Was... was that just my demon energy that I heard? Tell me that wasn't what I just heard!"
I stood there frozen as her body slumped around, looking for its head blindly. My legs did the thinking for me and I bolted. I almost stumbled over my feet as I panicked and ran away from the angry and ranting Dullahan.
"Come back here, you worm! Put my head back on and face me!" I heard her yelling but I didn't even care anymore. Saving face is nice and all, but I'm not dealing with this shit.
I run for a long time until I am fairly certain that I have outrun her.
I break through the doors of an abandoned barn and slam them behind me. I am out of breath and gasp for air while I slide down to the ground.
The barn was still lit with torches. Must've been raided just recently. Guess that's just fitting for me. I strip down my armor, wanting to reacclimate my body from the condensed heat underneath the plates. I use a nearby plank of wood to barricade the doors and take a breath of relief.
In blue buttoned up shirt and brown pants I find myself a corner with piled up hay and let myself fall into it. "I didn't sign up for this. I can deal with succubi, familiars and whatnot, but when your decapitated enemies start talking without their head on it's time to draw a line in the sand. I just hope the people in Onderon will be okay."
I rest my head in the hay and feel my eyes getting droopy. I felt like I was safe in the locked-up barn and let myself fall asleep.