Robert and his companions made their way deeper into the mountain. Blade led the way, her sword glowing slightly from the magical oil. The sultan followed behind her then Robert and Abin brought up the rear. Over their heads, an orb of light illuminated the tunnel for about thirty feet in both directions.
In the distance Robert thought he heard something. “Did you hear that?”
Abin staggered. “He’s cast a very powerful spell. The psychic wave was incredible.”
“We have to hurry,” the sultan said.
Blade led them at a quick walk. The sultan kept trying to push past her but she wouldn’t allow it. In the end that’s what saved them.
As Blade turned around to restrain Vilos, a shadowy claw shot out where her head had been an instant before.
She leapt back as a shadowy form separated itself from the darkness ahead. The creature appeared to be composed entirely of shadow. It towered above them. The tips of its wings brushed the ceiling. It had two diamond-shaped slits for eyes and a jagged hole for a mouth. All in all, not the most pleasant-looking creature Robert had ever seen.
“Welcome to your graves, mortals.” Monster hissed.
The creature lunged toward Vilos but Blade batted its claw aside with her sword.
It hissed and drew back
“I see you have a sting, little one.” It shifted its form into a giant scorpion. “Now I have as well.”
A loud crack filled the tunnel as a lightning bolt tore along the beast’s side shearing off four legs. Abin stood with his hands raised and smoking, a smile of triumph on his face.
“You will not best us, shadow demon.”
The shadow demon snarled and changed form again, this time choosing a humanoid shape with four arms. “If you think you can beat me, human, you are sadly mistaken.”
A tendril of darkness shot out from one of the demon’s hands, wrapped around Abin, and slammed him against the wall.
The demon held him pinned for a moment before Blade severed its tendril with an overhand slash.
The wizard fell to the floor with a grunt.
Vilos hurried over to his injured friend while Blade tried to drive the demon away.
“We have to get past it,” Vilos said. “Can you do anything?”
Abin coughed up a drop of blood. “I can get you past it, Majesty, but that’s all. The rest of us will have to stay behind to keep it from coming after you. Once we finish it, we’ll catch up with you.”
Finish the demon? Robert laughed to himself. Who the hell was he kidding?
Robert turned to watch Blade who was trying her best to do exactly that.
Robert was torn between wanting to help and not wanting to get in the way. She seemed okay for the moment, so he decided not to interfere.
The demon roared as Blade scored a cut across its chest.
“That’s twice you’ve hurt me, human.” It shifted form again, this time becoming an amorphous blob with eight tentacles.
One of them shot out and wrapped around Blade, lifting her off the ground. “Now I’ll crush you to a pulp.”
“No!” Robert roared. He lunged forward, dodging a pair of tentacles, to drive his sword into the tentacle holding Blade.
The demon snarled and dropped her.
“You okay?” he asked.
Blade grunted and got to her feet.
The demon lunged toward them, but before it could strike, a white globe of light struck it and drove it shrieking backward.
Robert turned to see Abin back on his feet arms raised. He muttered something then touched Vilos on the shoulder.
The sultan vanished.
While the demon was still blinded by the light Abin motioned them to come to his side. “The sultan has gone ahead to try and help his daughter. We must hold the demon here to give him a chance.”
“Great plan,” Robert said. “Any idea how we manage it?”
“You’ve seen that your weapons can hurt it. We just need to cause some more damage.”
“Is that all? Well what was I worried about? You forgot about the part where we survive.”
“All that matters is rescuing the princess,” Abin said. “If we die, so be it.”
“Speak for yourself, wizard,” Robert said. “I like Shara, but I plan to get Blade and me out of this in one piece.”
“It’s coming,” Blade hissed.
Abin’s white light was fading and the demon looked angry and unhurt.
Blade charged not giving it a chance to fully recover.
She slashed, severing any tentacles that got too close.
The little bits of shadow flesh vanished in a puff of acrid smoke.
Abin raised his hands again and this time half a dozen spheres of white light streaked away striking the demon in the face and causing it to roar in pain.
Blade took advantage of the distraction to lunge in and drive her sword deep into the mass of shadow flesh.
The demon shook her off and she went flying into the wall.
It oozed over toward her, intent on crushing the life from her stunned body.
Robert charged and leapt on to its back.
He drove his shortsword in up to the hilt.
The demon shook again, but he held on, determined not to let it reach Blade.
The demon surged back, trying to crush him against the other side of the tunnel.
Robert leapt clear and landed with a grunt on the stone floor.
The demon struck the wall with such force that the tunnel shook.
The force of the blow drove the sword in even deeper and the demon howled with pain and began writhing on the ground shifting from one form to the next almost faster than the eye could register.
Blade regained her feet, marched over to the demon, and began hacking at it. Her left arm hung limp and useless. Abin came over beside her and motioned her aside.
She glanced at him but did as he asked.
The wizard pointed both palms at the demon and whispered a spell.
There was a blast as sheets of white fire shot forth consuming the wounded demon.
In moments nothing remained of it but a few wisps of shadow flesh and Robert’s charred sword.