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The crimson balrog had undergone an incredible transformation just like the lycanthropes before it. It’s skull helm now stretched all the way to it’s upper chest, the horns already on its head now branched off into threes, each sharper than the original. Its eyes which had previously given off a dull red glow now shone like orbs. The largest change though, was the wings. They had doubled in size and speed, and each flap sent a gust of wind hurtling into the opposite direction. It let off another roar before streaking towards Derrin and Kayla. Derrin remained unintimidated, his rage crowding out any other thought. His shadow formed a shield in front of them, and the crimson balrog collided head on with it. A shockwave shot forth from the point of impact as the two sides pushed with all their might to break the other.

The shadow’s edges became jagged, then sharp. Two hands shot forward from the edges into the crimson balrog’s skeletal armor, denting it with every stab. It showed no surprise at the fight Derrin was putting up, but it quickly retreated to a safe distance, dodging the shadow’s razor sharp arms as it flew. It seemed as though Derrin had the upper hand, but if he did he thought nothing of it. Furiously, he guided the shadow on. Its arms extended forth at an incredible speed, but the abomination was just as fast. Its powerful wings propelled it with minimal effort through the skies around the boat. Derrin began to notice as the chase waged on, that the farther and farther his shadow went from him the weaker it became, and the harder it became to control. Despite his desire to crush the balrog, he retracted the shadow’s arms, and it once again assumed its humanoid form.

The crimson balrog came to a stop at the opposite end of the boat, its weight making the wood crack underneath it. Derrin grabbed two stars, his shadow doing likewise, and they swiftly flung them at the crimson balrog with all their might. To Derrin’s surprise, both hit home. The shadow’s stars shot forth at a speed too fast to be dodged. They collided with the armor right at the heart, and, incredibly, cracked it. It was small, but each star made a tiny hole that went all the through the metal. Even more incredible was that the monster had not dodged Derrin’s stars that had sunk into its thick hide, not even breaking the skin. This attack showed a critical weakness in the possessed crimson balrog: while it was swift in flight, it was very awkward on ground, especially with its newly acquired weight. This weight also made it impossible for it to hover without exerting tremendous amounts of effort. Finally, Derrin seemed to have an advantage. He charged forward, his feet unconsciously being coated with his shadow, allowing him to burst forward at speeds easily surpassing the assistant’s. In a moment he was within a few feet of the beast, and his shadow short forward, denting its armor and piercing it entirely in spots left vulnerable.

The balrog let out an annoyed roar, as if the mouse that he’d been playing with had begun to chew on his toe, and swatted the shadow aside with the back of his enormous hand. Its eyes seemed to glow with malice as Derrin retreated in surprise. It extended its hand into the air, gathering dark energy as it prepared to attack, and began to advance. It leaped off its powerful legs and soared high above, its hand descending as it reached the peak of its jump. The dark energy shot forth and Derrin’s shadow readied a shield in defense. For the first time in the battle, doubt entered into Derrin’s mind as something incredible happened: the dark energy passed right through his shield. The shadow acted as if on its own, and pushed its owner backwards away from the impending attack.
As Derrin skidded across the deck, the energy collided with it, obliterating it completely with a huge explosion.

Where Derrin had previously stood was a hole ten feet in diameter. The monster let out a triumphant roar, the ghost having finally gained the upper hand. As Derrin rose to his feet, he found himself next to Kayla, who’d been watching from the opposite end of the deck. “Don’t give up,” she said quietly. “If you give up, we have no hope!”

Derrin said nothing as he watched the crimson balrog closed in, but as both he and the shadow grabbed a pair of stars and prepared to leap into the air, he replied with determination, “Even if I was dead I wouldn’t give up; I’ll find a way to protect you.” With that, he tensed, and, his shadow once again coating his feet, leaped dozens of feet in the air. As the two enemies shot towards each other, the shadow narrowed, rapidly extending into a single arm sharper than the finest edge.

Haha, cliff hanger! It’s really not going to end how you think it will; I promise. I put in a subtle detail near the end to give you a clue. Feel free to speculate on its possible ramifications in your own mind, but please don’t say what you think will happen. We don’t want you to ruin it for others if you get it right! Anyways, click the button if you liked it and rate out of ten if you want. Besides for Derrin, I’d really like to talk to someone who wants to draw the possessed lycanthropes and crimson balrog as well.