Duel

"What good are these two dogs to you?" Zul'jin spat on the ground with disdain.

"I don't know what they can do, but I do know that they crave fresh flesh and blood just like other Undead!"

Nathanos charged forward, slashing with his sword. Zul'jin, as Nathanos had anticipated, raised his weapon to parry. This brief moment was enough for the undead Undead Hound, poised to pounce, to attack the immobilized Troll. At this moment, Zul'jin's back, legs, and left side were all vulnerable; he was utterly defenseless. Nathanos could already picture Zul'jin's pained expression.

But just as the Undead Hound ran to within five yards of Zul'jin, preparing to pounce on its soon-to-be-at-a-deal, a shadow barrier suddenly appeared, separating Nathanos's "comrade" from the duel.

"What?" Nathanos shoved the Troll away forcefully, puzzled by the current situation. Zul'jin been locked in a stalemate with him earlier, so it was impossible for him to have cast a spell to pull this off. But the smug look on his face made Nathanos realize that all of this was related to him.

"Don't think you're the only one with help! The great gods are with me!" Zul'jin pulled a handful of white powder, which looked like ashes, from the pouch at his waist. He casually scattered it into the air, chanting an incantation.

Nathanos sensed a shift in the wind around him, converging in one direction. In the hazy whiteness, a shadow suddenly appeared, and a dark purple vortex formed in the air. A Troll even more emaciated than Zul'jin materialized, hovering in mid-air. Nathanos noticed that his eyes burned with blue flames, and his hands and feet were devoid of flesh. This was not a living being. Moreover, the two Undead Hound trembled and retreated, seemingly terrified of this sudden appearance.

"I hereby prove my worth to you, Bwonsamdi. Behold, I will offer you the soul of this human being."

"Is this the death god of the Troll race?" Nathanos looked up at the silent Loa Spirits, who was also staring back at him. The completely opposite colors in their eyes seemed to foreshadow their irreconcilable differences.

"Death? You look... like one." Nathanos spoke first. He knew he was no match for Bwonsamdi, but if the other party really wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have bothered keeping him and Zul'jin trapped inside the barrier.

"Oh!!! The Lich King has found himself a powerful servant." Bwonsamdi's tone lacked any of the majesty he spoke of the Lich King; instead, it was somewhat... comical. This Grim Reaper seemed quite casual in his manner. "But you seem to be no longer under his control. Tell me, dead man, how is my 'good neighbor' doing lately?"

"A good neighbor?" Nathanos read cautiously. "Are you allies with the Lich King?"

"Stop dreaming. I'll take care of that soul-stealing bastard sooner or later. His appearance has even disrupted the original balance of life and death in Azeroth! But it seems he's gathered a lot of helpers for himself. There are even quite a few Dakkari Troll in the north who worship him."

"So you and he are mortal enemies? Great, me too. Maybe we should..."

"An alliance?" Bwonsamdi agreed with Nathanos's words, though this was what Nathanos really wanted to say; he didn't truly care about the Undead's every word and action. In his eyes, Nathanos was like a toy, and so was Zul'jin.

"It seems you've refused."

"Hahaha..." Bwonsamdi laughed as he flew out of the barrier, looking mockingly at the two people inside. "Come on, come on!" he clapped his hands and said, "Only the victor can leave this barrier."

What did he take this for? A duel performance? Nathanos clenched his fists, but Zul'jin reacted faster. The Troll hurled his axe, which Nathanos easily deflected with his sword, but when he turned around, he found Zul'jin already leaping into the air, raising his right fist to smash into him.

Nathanos didn't stand there bewildered. He rolled forward, causing the attack to miss, then turned and swung Quel'delar, the blade slicing a long, gruesome gash across Zul'jin's back.

"Oh!" Bwonsamdi pretended to cover his eyes with his hands, but didn't forget to tease the Amani Troll overseer who was at a disadvantage.

"Ah!!! I'll kill you!" Zul'jin roared, turning around in a rage. He drew a snake-shaped dagger from his waist and lunged at Nathanos, then, while the human was busy parrying with his sword, he kicked him. Nathanos fell to the ground, caught off guard, and Quel'delar slipped from his grasp. Zul'jin pounced, aiming the dagger at Nathanos's heart.

With the dagger tip only centimeters away, Nathanos hurriedly grabbed Zul'jin's wrists with both hands, resisting with all his might. Zul'jin, however, felt no fatigue; his body tensed, his excitement growing, for he was close to success, close to completing his revenge!

The duel turned white, Bwonsamdi, as a spectator, watched intently. The battle was progressing much faster than he had expected. Death had initially thought they would fight for hours, but only minutes had passed since his arrival. Yet Bwonsamdi wasn't disappointed, for a duel where lives were at stake was simply too exciting!

'Uh! That human is already dead.'

He thought jokingly, crossing his arms and rhythmically tapping his hands. He was getting restless, but he wouldn't intervene; he just wanted to know who would win the battle between the Troll and the human! Whether Zul'jin or Nathanos won, he would gain something. Bwonsamdi appreciated his own trait of never making a losing deal. If Zul'jin won, he would get the Troll's soul, though he knew it was only a matter of time. If Nathanos lost, the world would be one less dead man not content to stay in his grave.

"Hurry up, I can't wait!"

Nathanos was oblivious to Bwonsamdi's ulterior motives; he was focused only on the immediate predicament. Zul'jin's strength was nearly equal to his own, and continuing this stalemate would do him no good. He tightened his legs and then kicked Zul'jin with all his might. The Troll groaned and fell to the ground. The human leaped to his feet, finding Zul'jin's dagger had left its master's hand and was flying into the air. Nathanos seized the opportunity and charged at the Troll leader who had just stood up, his punch being caught by the man's one-armed arm.

"Die!" Nathanos said, his right hand already gripping Zul'jin's arm, delivering an over-the-shoulder throw that caught the troll off guard. As the Troll crashed to the ground, he was horrified to find his dagger falling, which Nathanos had caught precisely in mid-air. Before Zul'jin could even see what was happening, his dagger was piercing his heart.

It felt like that again! Zul'jin struggled in vain, his only hand pinned to the ground by Nathanos's right knee. His struggles were nothing more than his body trembling in pain.

In despair, his eyes once again searched for Bwonsamdi's figure.

And Death noticed his gaze.

"What a pity, Zul'jin, you lost!"

'No, I haven't lost yet! As long as... as long as you help me!'

Zul'jin screamed inwardly, and Bwonsamdi could hear his thoughts.

"Help you with what? Help you get to see Shadra? The dagger has the Spider Queen's venom on it, you're... courting death!"