Devi’s heart pounded as the resurrected monsters turned toward her, their eyes glowing with a malevolent purple light. The cavernous room seemed to pulse with an ominous energy, the air thick with a sense of impending doom. She tightened her grip on her blade, the flames flickering along its edge casting eerie shadows on the walls.

I should have expected this, she thought grimly. Nothing was ever that easy.

Not only did she have to contend with the massive cursed horror, but now she had to watch out for the smaller, zombie-like creatures—panther-bird abominations that seemed to come back after she killed them. Because of course, they did. She had already wasted a perfectly good mana gem explosive on a group of them, only for the glowing creatures to reassemble, feathers knitting back together in grotesque fashion.

Her eyes swept the circular room. Rubble was scattered everywhere, the remains of broken stone pillars and ancient carvings littering the uneven floor. Her dwindling supply of mana grenades, combined with her blade—more akin to a dagger than a sword—didn’t inspire confidence. Then her gaze landed on a cracked pillar near the center, its side riddled with fractures like a spider’s web. Her pulse quickened.

"I can make that work," she muttered, narrowly dodging a claw swipe from one of the zombie creatures. The thing hissed as its glowing talons tore through the air inches from her face.

"Just got to get the big guy here," she added, glancing over her shoulder at the massive cursed monster looming near the center of the cavern. It watched her with its glowing purple eyes, its grotesque form vibrating with barely contained rage. The thing resembled a chimera gone horribly wrong—its sinewy wings and sharp beak underscored by talons that could cleave stone.

Devi slashed at a nearby smaller creature, her flaming blade carving through decayed feathers and sinew. The creature staggered but didn’t fall. She didn’t have time to finish it off; the big one was already moving, barreling toward her with a guttural roar that reverberated through the cavern.

Perfect.

She darted toward the cracked pillar, weaving between rubble and dodging snapping jaws. Her heart pounded in her chest as she reached the base of the column. Skidding to a stop, she yanked one of her remaining mana grenades from her pouch. Infusing it with a surge of energy, she hurled it at the base of the pillar. The grenade struck true, detonating with a sharp crack that sent dust and shards of stone flying. The fractures deepened, chunks of rock crumbling away.

"Come on, you ugly feather duster!" she shouted, waving her blade to draw the massive creature’s attention.

The monstrosity roared again, its massive wings unfurling as it charged toward her. She sprinted past the pillar, ducking low as the beast swiped at her with its massive claws. The ground trembled beneath its weight as it collided with the weakened column. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, with a deafening crack, the pillar began to collapse.

Devi dove for cover as the column came crashing down, a cloud of dust and debris filling the air. She coughed, her eyes stinging as she scrambled to her feet, squinting through the haze. The massive cursed creature lay pinned beneath the rubble, its glowing eyes still burning with hatred.

"Okay, step one down," she muttered, brushing dust off her face. The pinned beast thrashed against the stone, low growls vibrating through the cavern like a death knell. It wasn’t down for good—not yet.

According to the journal she’d found earlier, she needed to set up a magical array before killing the monster. Otherwise, its curse would just find a new host—probably her. The notes had been annoyingly vague on the details. She glanced at the glowing disks in her bag, her frustration bubbling up.

"Connect them with what, duct tape?" she muttered, flinching as the beast’s wings twitched against the rubble, sending faint tremors through the ground.

Shoving the thought aside, she grabbed the first array disk and dashed toward the edge of the rubble pile. The monster roared, swiping at her with a massive claw. She ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding the strike. Coming up from the roll, she slapped the white stone onto the ground a few feet away from the beast and sprinted away.

Pain seared through her shoulder as razor-sharp feathers sliced into her flesh, tearing through her sleeve and leaving thin, bleeding gashes. Devi bit back a curse, gritting her teeth as she clutched her shoulder briefly before forcing herself to keep moving. Blood dripped down her arm, hot and sticky, as she reached for the second disk in her bag.

The cursed beast bellowed from beneath the rubble, its thrashing growing more violent. Smaller zombies swarmed toward her, their glowing eyes locking onto her as if drawn by a magnet. Thankfully, they seemed hesitant to approach the array disks, though that didn’t stop them from launching volleys of glowing feathers in her direction.

Devi ducked behind a chunk of debris, shielding herself as the projectiles embedded themselves with sharp thuds. The impact sent shards of stone scattering around her.

"Great," she muttered, peeking over her cover to see a smaller zombie circling toward her flank. "Because the firing squad wasn’t enough."

Tightening her grip on the second array disk, she tossed it past the big monster, watching it skid to a stop near a smaller panther-bird creature. The creature hissed and recoiled from the glowing runes. Encouraged, she quickly tossed the remaining disks into place, only for one to land near the edge of the room—right behind a group of feathered monsters.

The creatures turned in unison, their growls rising in pitch as they unleashed another barrage of feathers. Devi dove to the side, skidding her knee in her haste but avoiding the deadly hail of projectiles. Scrambling to her feet, she glanced at the misaligned disk.

"New plan," she muttered. She sprinted toward the misplaced disk, zigzagging to make herself a harder target. Feathers whizzed past, some so close she could feel the cold air of their passage.

With a final burst of speed, she sent a surge of mana through her blade, slashing it through the air. A wave of fire erupted, forcing the creatures to recoil. Devi used the brief reprieve to snatch up the array disk, rolling into motion as she avoided a retaliatory swipe. Blood dripped down her fingers as she placed the final disk into position.

But the array remained inert.

Devi stared at her blade, the runes etched into its surface glowing faintly. Her blood... Of course. The connection might be literal, her essence binding the disks together.

"Let’s see if this works," she muttered.

Kneeling beside the nearest disk, she reopened the cut on her arm with her blade, letting fresh blood trickle down. Quickly, she began trailing her hand across the floor, leaving a crimson thread connecting the disks. Each disk she connected with her sanguine trail began to glow brighter, spreading some of that glow to her impromptu array connection.

The massive monstrosity roared in frustration, shifting the rubble pinning it down. Devi’s heart clenched as she saw the tons of stone beginning to shift.

"Just hold still a little longer," she muttered, her voice tight with urgency.

With one final sprint, Devi connected the misshapen circle of array disks. The moment she did, the array flashed with a brilliant white light, banishing the shadows to the very furthest reaches of the room. Each disk seemingly burning with an internal light.

The boss let out a terrifying loud bellow as the light hit it, and with a surge of strength, ripped itself free from the rubble trapping it.

Devi’s limbs trembled with fatigue, her breath ragged as she raised her blade. Blood slicked her fingers, making her grip falter, but she refused to let the array’s activation be in vain. She hadn’t gotten this far to fail.

With a growl, Devi charged in, crossing the array circle, noticing a slight buz against her skin as she did, but there was no time to think about it. The enraged monster loomed in front of her, its head easily reaching a foot over her head, mouth wide open showcasing its massive fangs.

With a snap, the jaws closed where Devi was just moments before, as she ducked out of the way, retaliating with a quick slash with her blade. What she wasn’t expecting though, was her attack to be rebuffed by the pitch black feathers.

“Well, fuck you too,” Devi yelled at the monster as she hastily backed peddled out of emidite chomping range.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Dodging a heavy paw swipe, Devi maneuvered to the side, letting off a blast of flames into it, hoping that would do something.

The flames collided with the beast’s feathers, and when the fire cleared, all that was left were a few singed feathers, and nothing else.

I am beginning to think I bit off more than I can chew here.

Devi’s attacks weren’t enough. Her flaming blade barely scratched the cursed monster’s black feathers, and her spells fizzled against its hide like raindrops against stone. The thing was just too strong, its sheer presence overwhelming her senses with every strike she failed to land.

She dodged another swipe, barely keeping ahead of the beast's relentless onslaught. Every attack promised a swift end if she didn’t dodge. The edges of her vision swam with exhaustion, blood dripping steadily from the gashes in her shoulder and arm. Her chest heaved, lungs burning as she stumbled back, struggling to stay upright.

Her gaze flicked toward her bag—the handful of mana grenades she had left. They were powerful but given how tough the monster had proven, probably not enough to take it down. Not unless...

The monster roared, its maw opening wide enough for Devi to gaze deep into its throat.

I could use that.

The only problem was its head was far outside her reach, except when it was trying to tear her apart with its massive fangs.

Devi’s heart raced as the plan formed in her mind, wild and desperate. The monster’s strength and resistance to her attacks left her with no other option. She had to gamble everything on this one, reckless move.

Her hand brushed the grenades in her bag, the faint hum of mana crystals sending a tingle through her fingertips. They wouldn’t break the beast’s hide but inside its mouth? That might just work.

“Alright, big guy,” she muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing as the massive creature shifted, fixing its glowing purple gaze on her. “Let’s finish this.”

Devi darted forward, narrowly dodging a swipe of its claw. The beast growled, massive talons gouging deep furrows into the stone floor as it turned to follow her. She danced back and forth, forcing it to lunge, to snap its jaws at her, each bite narrowly missing her by inches. The heat of its breath seared her face, the raw, oppressive energy of its curse pressing down on her.

“Come on,” she goaded, her voice shaking but defiant. “You are going to have to try harder than that!”

The monster roared, its maw gaping wide, the glow from within its throat casting a sickly purple light on the cavern walls. Devi’s muscles tensed, her pulse hammering in her ears as she clutched the last of her grenades. Timing was everything.

With a feral shout, she sprinted straight at the beast.

Its jaws snapped closed as she slid beneath them, skidding along the dusty floor on her back. She thrust her hand upward, shoving the primed grenades deep into its mouth. The rough, serrated edges of its tongue scraped her arm, but she ignored the pain, her focus unyielding.

The monster’s jaws clamped down before she could pull away. Agony exploded through her as its fangs sank into her arm, grinding bone and flesh. Devi screamed, her vision going white with pain. Blood poured from the wound, slicking her armor and pooling beneath her. But she held on, pushing the grenades deeper into its throat.

“Choke on this,” she hissed through gritted teeth.

The grenades detonated.

A blinding burst of light and sound filled the cavern, the explosion reverberating through the stone walls like thunder. The force of the blast flung Devi backward, her body slamming into the ground with a sickening thud. She coughed, the taste of copper filling her mouth as rubble rained down around her.

The monster staggered, its roar cut off as the explosion tore through its insides. Smoke and flame billowed from its mouth and eyes, its body convulsing as it struggled to stay upright. With a final, shuddering groan, the cursed creature collapsed, its massive frame hitting the ground like a felled mountain.

All around her, the smaller versions dropped like their strings had been cut.

Devi lay motionless, her body screaming in pain. She blinked against the haze of dust and smoke, her gaze locking onto the smoldering remains of the beast. It wasn’t moving.

She managed a ragged laugh, her voice hoarse. “Told you... I would win.”

Her laughter dissolved into coughing as she cradled her mangled arm. The stump throbbed, her blood staining the stone beneath her. For a moment, she let her head fall back, staring at the cavern ceiling.

As she lay there in a pool of blood, she noticed something moving around the monster’s corpse.

Dark purple smoke began to bleed off of the unmoving form of the monster, rising into the air. It whirled, coiling into a tight ball. All around her, the smaller monsters stopped moving, and the same smoke was seemingly pulled from their corpses, consumed by the billowing cloud.

As Devi watched, two glowing purple eyes manifested in the middle of the smoke, and locked onto her.

Fuck.

She began to drag herself to the edge of the array, hoping whatever that smokey thing was wouldn’t be able to cross it, leaving a bloody trail behind her.

As she was only a few feet away from the edge, her mind exploded in pain.as if a searing spike of molten iron had been driven straight into her skull. Devi screamed, clutching her head as the purple glow consumed her vision. Her mangled arm throbbed in rhythm with the stabbing pain, her heartbeat pounding like war drums in her ears.

The smoky entity didn’t wait. The coiling darkness surged toward her, its glowing eyes burning with cold malevolence. The air around it warped, and an unnatural chill seeped into her bones. Devi’s muscles refused to respond; her limbs felt like lead as she struggled to crawl further.

“You thought you could bind me?” The voice wasn’t a sound but a presence that echoed directly in her mind. It was deep, layered, and oozing with contempt. “Foolish mortal. You will become my next host.”

Devi gritted her teeth, pushing back against the invasive voice. “Not today... you oversized smoke ring...” she rasped, every word an effort through the haze of agony. Her fingers clawed toward the array’s edge. She wouldn’t lose now, not after everything she went through to get here. Even if most of it was her own fault.

With a final push, Devi managed to roll her mangled body across the line of blood, gasping for breath.

Behind her, the entity’s smoky tendrils lashed out, only to slam against a barrier at the edge of the array. A shockwave of fait light erupted where the dark tendrils met the glowing edge, forcing the entity to recoil with a hiss of frustration. It circled the array like a predator, probing for weaknesses. Each strike sent ripples through the barrier, and Devi could feel it weakening.

With a growl, Deve slapped her remaining hand onto the array disk and began to push as much mana as she could into it. Power surged out of her, into the array, turning the faint glimmer of the barrier into a blazing light. Devi allowed herself a grim, blood-streaked smile.

"Looks like you are the fool," she muttered, her voice barely a whisper.

All at once, the barrier seemed to hit a turning point, and began to collapse inward, forming a sphere of bright white light. The purple glow of its eyes flared brighter, the coiling smoke thrashing violently against the brilliant wall. Each strike sent faint ripples through the barrier, but the array held firm.

Devi collapsed just outside the circle, her body trembling with exhaustion and pain. Every breath felt like fire in her lungs, her vision swimming in and out of focus. She clenched her teeth, refusing to let unconsciousness claim her.

“You are not getting out of there,” she croaked, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Not if I can help it.”

The entity hissed, its form shifting as if testing the array for weaknesses. Its voice returned, sharp and venomous. “You think this feeble construct can hold me? You have only delayed the inevitable. You cannot kill me!”

“You want to bet?”

Devi sent another surge of mana into the array, shrinking the sphere even more. It was now the size of a large beach ball, but the smokey monster pushed out against her, halting the collapse.

“You will run out of energy soon enough, mortal. I can already tell that. Just give in.”

Devi could tell the thing was right, even if she would never admit it out loud. Her stump of an arm continued to bleed, and she could tell her Mana was dropping fast. But what the smokey monster didn’t know, was that she hated giving up.

She didn’t give up when her parents told her that getting into college was a pipe dream and that she was too dumb to even try. She didn’t give up when everyone told her that she would never be a real woman. She never gave up when everyone told her that she couldn’t get her dream job.

Sure, she stumbled along the way and even came close to ending everything herself. But, she hadn’t. And she wasn’t going to give up now.

With a scream, Devi dumped her remaining Mana into the array in a tidal wave. She was met with what felt like an iron wall, but she gritted her teeth.

“You wont be the thing that ends me!”

Her defiant shout echoed through the cavern, and she clamped down on the resistance. Iron was tough, but, even that melted in the face of an inferno.

The brilliant light of the array turned crimson as Devi poured her will into it. A few flames ignited along its surface, and the resistance began to crumble.

The sphere constricted further, pressing the smoky entity into a writhing, chaotic knot.

"No!" the entity screamed, its voice splitting into a cacophony of rage and despair. "You will regret this, mortal!"

"Maybe," Devi rasped, her vision darkening at the edges. "But that's a tomorrow problem."

The array flared one final time, and the sphere collapsed completely, trapping the entity in a shard of solid light no larger than a marble. The room went silent, save for the sound of Devi’s labored breathing. The marble rolled across the floor, stopping near her outstretched hand.

Devi let out a laugh, or maybe it was a sob. She wasn’t sure anymore. The fight was over—for now.

The pain in her body surged as the adrenaline wore off, and she allowed herself to sink into the floor. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think, but she clutched the tiny marble in her remaining bloodied hand.

"Still here," she whispered to the empty room, her voice faint but resolute. "Still standing."