Growing wings, the scar faced dragonForced to flee, the cavernous halls of the profane temple shake and shudder as masonry falls from the ceiling lost in the darkness above. Smashing down around them, their path is treacherous and dogged by the onslaught behind. As they reach the first junction where the blockage occurred they stumble on something indeed out of place.
Serafim
Rushing over to the dying form, Tredow shakes her by the shoulders but it dawns on him. 'She would be dead with her friends if in this state and certainly not alone this far.' Warning the others, the dwarf Olaf strikes her but it looks like trying to strike a solid wall. The figure of Serafim laughs and bellows.
"Bring her to me. TO ME!"
And then it is gone.
With the way blocked and no escape from whence they came, Ana and Marji look to the others for answers. The sardonic smirk from Tredow touches his lips as he responds in his equally sardonic manner, reaching for a scroll.
"And you're supposed to be the mages."
Speaking the Draconic words, how fitting, his form bursts into that of a great red dragon. Curiously bearing a long scar down the left side of its face, the personality of the dragon is in control before Tredow can adjust to this form he has never taken before and he lifts his sinuous neck to the vaulted heights above and bellows.
The sound shakes the earth and the others scatter almost in terror as further tremors rock the hall. Deep blue eyes pierce the dark at them with their malice and Malphor taunts, their cut off escape. With several great thrusts of his wings, the dragon sails through the air towards the bridge on which the demon lord stands and alights, gripping onto the small landing with back and fore claws.
Marji follows suit as a pixie, cursing at the dragon when his wings buffet her, trying to carry a rope across the gap to secure on the bridge. Malphor's voice draws all their attention as he laughs, dripping with hatred and freezing the marrow.
"YOU WEAK PATHETIC FOOLS!."
And with that, the dragon raises his voice in challenge with wings outspread and the two colossal creatures fight. Raking one another with claw and fang, they grapple and wrench at each other, roaring in their anger and rage. Though the dragon's talons cannot pierce the demon's supernatural form, Malphor's own find their mark and the dragon bellows in his fury with each slash at his red scales. Launching forward, catching the demon lord with his forearms, they thrash and twist as they grapple, Malphor pushed back by the weight of the titan before him
But even this herculean effort to keep him at bay seems amusing to him and once again, his voice thick like molasses he mocks them. With a disdainful flick of the wrist, the dragon watches as Malphor's hellball spirals towards Olaf, Masame and Ana and tries to lunge but finds himself unable to muster the strength, weakened from the blows of the demon lord.
Releasing the form takes incredible concentration and willpower as the personality of the dragon threatens to overcome him and Tredow sags to the bridge, crying out in hoarse pain as the demon's wounds sizzle and crack on his human body. Literally bathing himself in healing tonics, he looks over the gap to see Ana bloodied but out of danger's reach and cannot believe his eyes. Masame and Olaf slashing at the demon lord, hacking away at his form and amazingly driving him to retreat. They destroy his physical manifestation and make good their escape now the way is free.
Fashioning a cage from his will, Masame is trapped by the demon lord but the quick thinking of Marji dispels the illusion and they flee. One of the cultists, with wet, choking breaths cries out doom at the hands of the silent lord and once again the demonic forces explode into this reality to try and rend these interlopers.
Cut off, separated, they all flee as best they can with each having to abandon the others in order to save themselves. Tredow, with invisibility fading sprints like hell is on his heels and it is. Fire spurts from the ground, black claws and maddened creatures tear themselves from hellfire all around him to snap and bite at his passing form.
Literally screaming for the Vistani to ride, he's joined by the others left behind and they make good their escape, with the vardo bucking and shaking with the team's efforts to flee from the enraged demons. Laughing his scorn at their fading forms, Tredow raises a middle finger in defiance at them and promptly collapse in exhaustion in the pallet of the wagon. Some say you lose something of yourself when you enter these lands and others like it. Tredow certainly did.
He lost some of his dignity.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lDOeb_Geec&feature=player_detailpage[/youtube]