The sudden darkness set off Vakdragnar’s primal instincts. Everything about it felt wrong. It was like catching sight of a giant shark while underwater, his instincts screamed that he was in danger.

The air in the tomb grew increasingly hotter, and the ground seemed to sway. Vak found his balance wavering, as though he stood on a living animal. He tried to stand still and focus on listening to his surroundings, but all he could hear was a dull slurping noise in the dark.

Vak felt weighed down, as though the air was more oppressive somehow. He felt like he was moving slower and being pulled toward the writhing floor by this unseen force.

Then a small white light appeared. The darkness shied back as Cassie thrust her hand forward. She had found a strange stone staff to affix the spell onto, and it gave Shattershade a bit of a respite from being blind. It also gave the darkness a form.

Vak could see the slow-moving amorphous creatures writhing along the floor around Shattershade. Unhindered by the light, the darkness crawled all over the heroes like a swarm of sentient insects. These dark bugs seemed adamant about suffocating out the light.

Braid attacked with his hammer and struck those on the ground. Where he hit, some of the dark bugs dissolved away, but more replaced them. It would not be long before they buried him.

Cassie began to send dancing fire around herself to purge these dark bugs. The engulfing flame quickly consumed Their tiny black bodies. The more prominent bonfire replaced the white light of the stone staff.

Once she cleared away the dark bugs surrounding her, she began to work to help Anka carefully. The flames devoured the darkness like a greedy child, and somehow avoid burning Anka. The dark bugs continued to attack Cassie and were met only with fire, but for some reason, the bugs seemed disinterested once Anka was deloused.

Then Cassie began to fight the dark bugs that surrounded Braid. It was not as successful. After Cassie would burn the darkness from him, a new wave would find a way to latch back on. It was all she could do to keep them from overwhelming him.

Vak could make no move to help them. He likely had the same creatures wriggling across his body and attributed the impressive weight he felt, to their influence. He remained trapped in the darkness; none of the bugs surrounding him were anywhere near the bonfire from Cassie.

“Dam!” Braid called while striking at more amorphous bugs.

“I’m… here.” Dam called from nearly right beside Vak.

“Can you make it to the light?”

“No, these things have me pinned down.”

“Alright, we’ll start making our way to you. Stay strong, buddy.” Braid called.

It was slow, but Shattershade began to move as a group toward where they thought Dam might be. They had not taken more than a few steps before the torchlights in the tomb sprung back to life. The dark bugs scurried away, scuttling back to Zogmodeth. They latched themselves onto him like a grotesque layer of skin.

It was a mystery to Vak why the torchlight had returned. It was possible the demon only had the power to block it out for a few minutes. His power could have a limit. It was also possible those dark bugs were just a precursor to the torment it had in store for all of them. Vak didn't know why, but he assumed the latter.

Dam, who had been rolling around on the floor, suddenly stopped. He brought himself to his feet, paused for a brief moment, and then sprinted toward Nina with a speed Vak had not seen the man use before. He drew his sword with his remaining hand and lunged straight for her throat.

Vak barely made it in time, placing himself in the way of Dam’s attack. The black shortsword with silver trim pierced Vak’s chest. The attack sent a wave of intense pain through his body, and he almost doubled over from it.

Dam pulled black his blade. “Get out of the way, Villain.” he spat.

“Damnit Dam, there is a bigger threat here than me,” Vak said gesturing to the demon.

“Yes, and if I can kill the witch, then the demon likely goes away.” He said, trying to sidestep around Vak. Vak was ready for him, and this time caught the blade with his axehead. The force of the blow sent the blade scattering, and Dam rolled backward anticipating a second attack that Vak did not execute. Dam picked his blade up and stood in a crouch, looking for a blind spot to which he could use to attack.

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Once Zogmodeth was hole again, he began stalking toward Shattershade with slow, deliberate steps. It raised his impossibly long arms and slashed at them. Braid barely caught the attack with his hammer and seemed to be struggling to hold the demon at bay. Smoke arose from the space between demon and hammer, likely causing it pain, but it pressed the attack without pause.

“Hold him, Braid!” Anka said as her amulet began to spin. She began reciting a prayer in the holy tongue.

“Good!” Braid said, struggling. “I’ll keep the devil at bay, and you banish him back to whichever plane of hell he comes from.”

“I am going nowhere, little man,” Zogmodeth said as he stopped his assault, putting Braid off balance for a moment. “I like it up here.”

Cassie took the opportunity to unleash a series of intense fire blasts at it. A new one summoned and thrown before the last had even struck the demon. Each echoed throughout the chamber with a thunderous boom.

Zogmodeth was unphased by the heat. “Hellfire burns hotter than your pitiful tricks, and I bathe in it.” He said, extending his long arms wide in a show of complete disregard.

“Bathe in this, fool,” Braid said taking the opening and bringing his glowing hammer across its chest. Surprisingly a rib bone snapped and dissolved off into the ground.

Vak found himself routing for man, despite being at odds with him; it was a mistake. The moment Vak’s attention shifted, he heard the scuffling boots behind him. He turned to see Dam lunging at Nina again.

This time he would not be able to reach her. There would be no positioning himself between her and the blade. So, he threw his axe. It was not designed for throwing, and that is likely the only thing that saved Dam’s other hand. It caught the sword, and both weapons went scattering across the floor.

“You bastard!” Vak said, feeling his anger war within him, begging to be let out. He quickly placed himself between Nina and Dam and the sneaky jerk backed off. There was a look of pure anger and frustration on Dam’s face. The two were at a standstill. Vak began to count in his head slowly.

I need to keep control. If I give into the rage here, then the situation will only worsen.

Braid's hammer still stuck into the chest of the demon, and it seemed to be held there by the darkness that surrounded him. A bit of darkness crawled over the hammer, like black tendrils of a vine. Braid struggled to pull it back to no avail. The demon sneered.

A blast of lightning streaked across the tomb towards the demon’s head and struck him in the skull. Zogmodeth screamed at the assault and Braid was able to pull the hammer back with the distraction Cassie had provided.

Zogmodeth was not dazed for long as it reached its long black skeleton-like claw toward her. It stretched past its physical limitations, shooting out twenty feet. It grabbed her around the waist and slammed her back into the wall of the tomb. Her body hit with a crunch, but Zogmodeth was not yet finished.

The darkness around his claw began to ooze and cover her body like a living mud. Her eyes looked like they’re rolling back in her head in response to the impact. Braid leapt to drive his hammer into the elongated arm. He snapped it from the demon’s body, and it howled in anger.

“Anka?” Braid shouted, and as if in response, Anka’s chanting started to get louder. The oozing darkness was still surrounding Cassie's body, and it began crawling down her mouth as it held her fast to the wall. Vak could hear her choking.

Anka’s chanting sounded like it was reaching a critical moment when suddenly Zogmodeth was in front of her. Vak had not seen it move. He saw Anka’s eyes go wide as it reached up with its remaining left arm and tore at her face. She screamed as the focus on the spell fizzled into nothing. Vak could see the creature had ripped most of the upper right side of her face clean off. She screamed in agony as she fell to the floor, clutching her wound.

“I’m going to make you wish you’d never done that,” Braid said, rushing forward. Zogmodeth lazily lifted a foot and struck the man to the ground with a sickening force.

“You impotent little man.” Zogmodeth taunted. “To think you injured me. Well, that’s my burden. I can’t help playing with my food.” To Vak’s astonishment the stump where its right arm had been, elongated into a new hand and split apart into wicked claws.

In its other hand, the demon held something, Vak could not tell what. Then the demon let it dangle by the nerve that was still attached. Zogmodeth dangled Anka's eye above his mouth and then let it drop. He seemed to savor the taste.

Vak’s stomach did a roll, and he was worried that he might lose its contents. He looked over to Dam, when had he grabbed his blade again? It was no matter; Dam was no longer trying to attack Nina; he was inching toward the door of the tomb. There was a look of pure horror on his face.

Braid had found the strength to stand again, but he did not look alright. He was bleeding, and his left arm looked injured. He held his hammer in front of himself with his good arm. He challenged the demon bravely, or perhaps too proud to see it outmatched him.

Zogmodeth smiled at him. “Very well, hero. I’ll give you the death you’re seeking.” It said as it tore through Braid’s steel armor with its claws. Blood scattered across the room as Braid fell back. It looked like the claws had ripped his chest open. He lay there, on the cusp of consciousness, bleeding. Dam fled the room.

The demon raised its claws again to his mouth. He licked them clean in a sickening taunt. It bent down to grin at Braid, raising its claws above its head to eviscerate him. It leapt back in an instant with an inhuman quickness. Vak fell clumsily through the space the demon had just stood. It had been a gamble to try and tackle Zogmodeth, and Vak found himself sprawled out on the floor of the tomb, defenseless.