Further into the Highgrove Warrens…

Far up ahead, I can hear the wastewater flowing into a pit. It’s likely a massive reservoir leading out to the river. Once a nesting ground for monsters, it’s now something far worse.

We haven’t encountered any more demons since that Imp Master. It seems the Shadow Fiend has pulled its minions back, concentrating its forces for one final stand. An ambush, no doubt.

The shadows are dense, like layers of darkness folded atop each other. It’s… suffocating. I sense the Shadow Fiend far away, cloaked in the void, its presence a pulse of malevolent Mana. It knows we’re coming… and it’s trying to locate us.

“Our Candlelight…” Anna whispers, her voice wavering. “It’s almost out. I can barely see anything ahead.”

“Don’t worry,” I reply, calm but firm. “I don’t sense any demons close by. Keep moving. Slowly. We’re almost there.”

“Alright.”

This isn’t ordinary darkness, though. It’s a Demon’s spell – an Abyss. An all-consuming void of shadows that devours all light, leaving only darkness… black as death. It’s a space where only creatures of darkness thrive.

Hmm… shit. Our Candlelight flickers feebly, swallowed by the rising tide of shadow as we near the heart of this cursed domain. With each step forward… the Shadow Fiend’s presence grows stronger and stronger. And just a few steps ahead, I sense…

“Anna, stop,” I whisper urgently, grabbing her arm. “We’re getting too close.”

I thrust Elizabeth into the ground, raising my hand as a surge of power courses through me. With a focused gesture, I cast Dispel Magic into the oppressive darkness. The muck flickers with an eerie shimmer… revealing the intricate weave of a massive Shadow Web – an insidious demonic trap designed to alert its master to intruders while also sapping their strength. Its sinister strands tremble and disintegrate, undone as the demonic Mana fueling its malevolent purpose dissipates into nothingness.

“The Shadow Fiend’s just ahead…” I murmur, my voice low. “It’s gathering its forces in the next chamber, lying in wait. If we’d stepped on that trap… they would’ve known exactly where we were and sprung an ambush.”

“What’s the plan?” Anna whispers back, her grip on Ascalon tightening. “I sense… a malevolent presence peering out from the darkness.”

“Yeah. You sense it as well now, eh? Aside from laying out that nasty trap, it’s been trying to track us down with its scrying. Just a few more steps… and I reckon we’d be on its radar.”

“So, what do we do?”

“Thirty steps cloaked under a Spell Ward – that’ll keep it from sensing us as we close in on the end of the sewer. We’ll count our steps. At twenty-eight, I’ll unleash the brightest Candlelight Nisha’s ever seen. It should blind the bastards for ten, maybe twelve seconds... but let’s plan for eight, just to be safe.”

“Okay. And that’s where I come in.”

“Yes. You’ll charge in with my Divine Blessing and take out the Shadow Fiend.”

Anna nods sharply. “Got it.”

“Only one shot at this. Ready?”

She takes a steadying breath. “Let’s do this.”

I weave a Spell Ward, pouring Mana into it to shroud our movements. Step by step, we move forward into the all-consuming darkness, counting our steps silently. At twenty-six… I raise my hand and bestow my Divine Blessing upon Anna; her eyes glow white and blue. And at twenty-eight… as I hold the Spell Ward steady… I thrust Elizabeth into the ground and conjure a massive, overcharged Candlelight. The orb blazes to life, surging forward into the shadows – a radiant sun of white and blue light searing through the darkness.

The cavern explodes in blinding brilliance, the shadows peeling back like a curtain. Imps screech and flinch, their grotesque forms revealed under the searing radiance. And there it is – the Shadow Fiend – a hulking, arachnid monstrosity, its obsidian exoskeleton glistening as it looms over its minions. Its many eyes gleam with fury and pain, the void given form.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The light does more than pierce the darkness and blind demons – it exposes another sprawling Shadow Web stretched across the floor, its cursed strands lying in wait to ensnare and cripple us had we stumbled in blindly. With a sharp gesture, with Elizabeth already grounded… I cast Dispel Magic, unravelling its evil and clearing Anna’s path.

“Go!” I shout, flames of Holy Fire crackling in my free hand. “Get ‘em!”

Anna surges forward, Ascalon slicing through the air in a fiery arc. “Be not far from me, Rinnah. You are my strength, my courage…”

“RODERIC! THERE’S TOO MANY OF THEM! I…”

The Shadow Fiend’s screech tears through the air – a warped cacophony of voices… men and women… crying out in their final moments of agony, twisted into one chilling wail. Still blinded by the searing light, it conjures a writhing torrent of shadowy locusts – an Unholy Swarm surging forward, desperate to engulf Anna in its chaotic embrace. I counter with a torrent of Holy Fire, burning the bugs to ash and giving her the opening she needs.

“I CAN SAVE YOU, RODERIC! RUN… PLEASE…”

“And in you, I trust… to walk in the shadow of death…”

Anna lunges, driving Ascalon into the Shadow Fiend’s thorax. The blade sinks deep, the silver edge glowing white-hot as it cleaves through demonic flesh.

“RODERIC…”

The Shadow Fiend howls, its form writhing and distorting under the holy onslaught. Its limbs flail wildly, obsidian blades striking the air in blind desperation. But Anna is relentless; her strikes are swift and brutal, each carving deeper into the Demon’s core. And with a final, mighty swing… she cleaves Ascalon’s edge through its head.

As the Shadow Fiend crumbles into nothingness… the darkness of its Abyss collapses with it. But for the briefest of moments… its many arachnid eyes lock onto mine, wide with something akin to fear… or is it, dare I say it… recognition? Before I can make any sense of this, the Shadow Fiend is gone… and the cavern plunges into natural darkness.

Snapping my fingers, I conjure another orb of Candlelight, its soft blue-white glow illuminating the aftermath. The imps and their Imp Master remain, huddled together, their eyes darting between us with a mix of fear, rage… and hunger. Bound by the Shadow Fiend’s lingering will… the Imp Master cannot flee – even if it desperately wants to. And so too are the imps under its command, ensnared by the Imp Master’s unbreakable hold.

“Arisa…”

Anna’s voice is cautious, her breath still heavy with exertion as the protective light of her Sanctuary surrounds her and me. “What now?”

“We don’t stop now,” I say with a small smile, my hand already crackling with Holy Fire. “This is our victory lap.”

----------------------------------------

Ten minutes later…

Without much ceremony, the remaining imps and the Imp Master crumple to the ground, consumed by Holy Fire and cleaved by Ascalon’s edge.

Like their fallen Shadow Fiend master, the lesser demons dissipate quickly, their forms vanishing into nothingness. It’s hardly anything worth celebrating – just killing done righteously… a chore like any other.

The aftermath is peaceful, though the place still reeks of filth. Honestly, we should get the fuck outta here.

But wait! Something’s lingering where the Shadow Fiend died. A dark essence, thick and black as the abyss itself, pulses with power – demonic magic! As I stand in its presence, it burrows into my mind, whispering its secrets to me. The secret of…

“MIND CONTROL.”

This spell... it uses Mana to bend others to its will. Humans. Elves. Monsters. Everything, and anything. Even demons. They’d obey my every command… till death do us part.

But before I can dwell on the thought, it all fades into nothing, leaving no trace behind. The sensation vanishes like smoke in the wind, and I’m left wondering if it ever happened at all. Was I… hallucinating? It’s been a long day, after all… and I…

“Umm… Arisa!?”

Anna’s voice snaps me back to reality as she gently shakes me. “Are you alright? You were staring deeply into the muck…”

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine…” I answer, forcing a smile as I try to shake off the dark thoughts still clinging to me. “How about you?”

“I wanted to ask…”

“Yeah?”

“Those words the Shadow Fiend said while we slew it… were they…?”

I nod slowly, the weight of the memory sinking in. Anna frowns, concern etching her features.

“They repeat the dying words of their past victims slain by either them or their minions...” I explain, my voice lowering as I think of Rae and Celia. “Like a parrot learning words, y’know? It’s a cheap trick they use to try to frighten their enemies.”

“I see. It was very scary… but I kept going, Arisa.”

I meet her gaze, holding it for a moment. Her eyes are sincere and warm. Her arms are strong, as they’ve always been. And... maybe I’ve got something in my eye right now. But it’s okay. Right now, being close to Anna... I don’t mind it one bit.

“I trust you. You’re my Healer,” Anna says softly. “We’re a team, aren’t we? I put my life in your hands, willingly.”

“Why?”

“Because I believe in us, Arisa. Don’t you?”

“Hell yeah!” I reply with a grin. “I sure do!”

For a moment, we look at each other, smiles on our faces. In that instant, this place doesn’t smell like complete, rancid shit. But of course…

“We should get outta here,” I murmur, and Anna nods in agreement. “We’ll get back to Roderic with the good news. As good as it can be ever after all this shit.”