Delilah ran hand in hand with the small child, dreading what Mavrik would say if he was here. She'd been supposed to be back hours ago, on a quest for supper for the pair. Not only would be be mad at her absence, he would be giving her a lecture while hungry, what could be a worse combination. Helpless to resist when she'd seen the small child dragged away by robed men, pursuing them and snatching her away, only to get lost in the labyrinth while fleeing a fight she couldn't win.

Shaking her thoughts as she threw herself around another corner, twisting and turning through the maze of catacomb under the cathedral. The child next to her tripped and stumbled with a yelp, drawing them to a halt.

"Come on, get on."

She urged, crouching down to let the child jump onto her back, tucking her hands under her knees.

"We're going to get out of this Ellie, don't worry."

The child tightened her grip around her neck, little horns poking out of her deep fuchsia hair, heavy steps in hot pursuit.

"They went this way!"

Encountering a dead end, she felt her heart drop. Pressing herself to the wall and shielding Ellie, praying the foot steps that were drawing closer would pass by her.

There was a shout and the sound of metal clashing against something, then silence for a moment until foot steps approached them. Echoing ominously, bouncing off the stone walls, a figure loomed around the corner, far larger than Mavrik.

She felt Ellie shift on her back "Grim'gi?" Scrambling to climb down before running towards the hulking orc that had appeared around the corner.

"Ellie!" He scooped up the tiefling child, hugging her so tightly Delilah feared he would crush the young child.

"Whose the other un?" He grunted, looking at Delilah.

"She's like me!"

Delilah stepped forward, orc towering over her, watching as he helped Ellie up onto his shoulder where she could easily perch. Smirking at the irony of him having a devil on his shoulder.

"I'm Delilah, it's nice to meet you."

"So you got 'em horns too?" He spoke in a thick, rough accent that swallowed random sounds and consonants from his words.

"Sure do." She smiled, taking in the strange pair in front of her. Ellie was wrapped in heavy layers and robes, that mostly hid her vermillion skin and barbed tail. While Grim'gi bore deep shamrock green skin, tusks protruding from his lower lip and curling up to the dimples of his cheek. Clothing a mix of hide and skins, halberd stowed over his back and twin great axes slick with blood hung from his belt.

Ellie paused, listening intently "I hear something.." Holding her hand out, an intricate purple symbol forming above her up turned palm. It blazed to life, stretching wider as a form flew out of it, sigil shattering on it's exit.

A large, admittedly battered, scruffy owl landed atop Grim'gi's head.

Delilah gasped "How did you?"

"This is Algernon, he's my familiar."

"Yeh, I dun know how it work either." Grim'gi swatted the bird from it's perch on his clean shaven head.

"Algernon, would you please follow the sounds coming from over there?" Ellie gestured back the way they had come from.

"Ellie, it's not safe."

"It's okay, I can see through Algernon's eyes."

The bird whispered through the corridors with the slightest ruffle of it's silky feathers. Delilah watched as Ellie's eyes changed to purple, pupils vanishing as it took over her entire iris.

"There.. I knew I heard something. There's other prisoners here." The light blue returning to her eyes as the purple retracted.

Delilah chewed her lip nervously, "Did you see any guards?"

Ellie's face fell, confirming her fears. A thought started to form in her mind "how far can Algernon go from you?" hearing the rustle of the bird returning to them a few minutes later.

The girl shrugged "As far as I or he wants to, I just might not be able to see through his eyes or communicate with him at a certain distance."

"I need him to find someone for me, he'll help us." Plan churning on how she could make her idea work, how would he know to follow the owl.. Her hands found her scarf. That's it!

Pulling it from her shoulders and offering it out to the bird "Will he understand me?" gaining confidence as Ellie nodded, the bird landing it's hefty weight on her arm. Algernon bowed his head, letting her wrap the scarf carefully around his neck. "I need you to find my friend, he's a man in full plate with a large sword on his back wrapped in cloth. His shield has a golden crest of a triquetra on it."

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The owl nodded, spreading it's wide wings to their full impressive wingspan and taking flight with a powerful beat.

Turning her attention to the two "We can't stay here."

Taking the lead and peering around the corner, noticing the men Grim'gi had cut down, the hallway was still clear. She gestured for the two to follow her, short sword drawn defensively, straining her ears for any sound that could echo their way to them.

"To the right at the next fork" Ellie whispered, still perched on Grim'gi's shoulder.

She inched forward, continuing down the hall, almost crashing into the robed men that rounded the corner at the same moment she did.

"The devil's have es-" One began to shout the alert before Delilah clamped a hand over his hand, not wanting to scare Ellie by stabbing the men. Grim'gi ambled forward, clearly not sharing her apprehension as he grabbed the other man by the head with his huge hand, and smashed his face into the fall with a sickening smack. She felt the man behind her hand try and pull away with a shout, Grim'gi was on him in seconds, dual wielding his great axes and cutting the man down with ease.

"Not killed someun before?"

"Not a human." Delilah affirmed, stealing a glance at Ellie who was uncovering her hands from her eyes, but overall didn't appear distressed. They were an odd pair indeed.

She looked down the hall the two men had appeared from, continuing their careful trek forward. The corridor opened up to an uninviting sight, large bloody pentagram drawn over the floor, candles laid at each of their stars.

"What on earth is going on here?" She whispered more so to herself.

A rustle of robes drew her attention to a dark eyed man, black veins running across his face, concentrated from his eyes. He was dressed in the same robes as the other men but his were black instead of the deep red she had seen the others wearing.

"Reckoning my dear."

"What have you summoned?"

"Not just yet. We needed one final ingredient."

Anxiety twisted in the pit of her stomach, regretting the question as soon as she spoke it "And that is?"

"A devil's sacrifice" he sneered. Realising why they had grabbed Ellie, she assumed the other prisoners were also sacrifices for whatever they were planning.

She watched as more robed members drew out of the shadows, moving to block their exit. Praying that Algernon had found Mavrik, hesitantly drawing her sword across her body.

"Guess today's as good as any, to start killing.." She mused softly, heart constricting at the thought.

Grim'gi crouched slightly to let Ellie down, straightening and drawing his halberd "Yer not touchin' her."

Delilah drew her hand along her sword "Ignis" fire blazing in pursuit of her hand's trail, clinging to the blade. Adjusting her grip on the hilt as she stepped forward, cautiously waiting for the men to draw closer. Jabbing at the first man and side stepping to avoid the second, she could hear the sound of Grim'gi warding off some of the other's behind her. Reaching forward and snatching at one of their hoods, pulling it over his eyes and snapping her foot out to kick him in the stomach, sending him sprawling. She focused on the man who had locked blades with her, breaking away to avoid a flail that swung at her head.

Forcing her breathing to remain steady as she tumbled to narrowly avoid another strike, she was tiring fast, trading blows and out numbered. Grim'gi continued to cut down the brunt of them, roaring in pain and dropping his halberd as a cross bow bolt buried into his shoulder from across the room. Delilah turned to run to his aid, feeling the sting of the flail catching her side. Hissing through the pain, she shot out her hand and focused on his great axes as Grim'gi drew them, alighting them with fire. He stopped, glancing at them with a crazed smile, burying them into the skull of the nearest cultist.

She felt the air rush past her ears, ducking to avoid the attack aimed at her. Focusing once again on the man who wielded a flail, side pulsating with pain. Her arms screamed in protest as she drew her sword up again, jabbing at the man, trying to break through and land a hit. Eyes widening as the flail caught her sword, ripping it from her hands and sending it skittering across the floor.

"Fuck" She hissed.

"Language" She heard Grim'gi huff, breathless from combat, so that was the line? Amused despite her predicament as two cultists advanced on her. The black robed man brandishing the flail. The sound of wing beats filled her ears, feeling a weight on her shoulder as Ellie's familiar landed for a moment as if completing his mission before taking flight once again.

"This doesn't look like dinner."

She grinned at the cultist, offering him a sickly sweet smile. Pardon her language Grim'gi. But, he was fucked. Feeling the air shift as a familiar cold presence stepped past her, batting away the flail with his kite shield. She focused her attention on the red robed cultist, glancing past him to see Grim'gi left dealing with two more men. New confidence filling her steps, the tide had turned in their favour. Parrying his knife strike

"Why are you fighting this? We're summoning your kin?? You should be honoured to sacrifice!" The deranged extremist snarled.

She raised an eyebrow at him, noting the cross bow slung over his shoulder.

"Let me go!" Ellie's cry distracted her, stumbling back and turning to see what had caused the child to cry out.

One of the cultists held her under the arms, lifting her up as she kicked wildly. Grim'gi tensed, ready to charge the man until he placed a knife to the Devil-kin child's throat.

The room stopped for a moment, black robed leader pointing to the pentagram "do it now!" He screamed.

"No!" Delilah cried desperately, mortified as something made Grim'gi continue his assault, snatching up his halberd and thrusting it forward. Breath catching in her throat, outstretching her hand with a plea. A scream cut through, but it wasn't Ellie's, the cultist crumpling to the floor clutching his chest, blood blooming across his hand. The tiny Tiefling had vanished from his grasp in the last second, reappearing a short distance away.

The cultist behind her gurgled, drawing her attention back to her opponent who had met a similar fate as the other cultists by Mavrik's Morningstar. Leaving only the leader remaining, Mavrik rounded on him, pointing his Morningstar to the man's throat.

"Tell us what you were doing here."

The manic man's eyes darted around the room at his fallen brothers and sisters. Lines of the pentagram smudged and broken across the cold stone.

"It doesn't mater any more, we failed him." He whispered, ripping his knife across his throat before any of them could react and sliding to the floor.

A soft clap echoed around the room, the owner of the sound sat perched a tall statue in the corner of the room. Large horns curled like a rams, skin almost as deep red as Delilah's scarf. His eyes were silver but surrounded by black sclera rather than white. Tail flicking around carelessly, barbed like Ellies. But most noticeably large, leathery wings over shadowed his back.

He stood "Well, that was fun".