“The world rests in the night. Trees, mountains, fields, and faces are released from the prison of shape and the burden of exposure. Each thing creeps back into its own nature within the shelter of the dark. Darkness is the ancient womb. Nighttime is womb- time. Our souls come out to play. The darkness absolves everything; the struggle for identity and impression falls away. We rest in the night.”

― John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

The group of women now eight with a she-devil, five she-demons, and twin Cambions spent the rest of the day in the tomb planning for their journey to Camelot. The twins showed Tabitha and the others their human forms which looked like them without the horns, wings, tails, and red skins. As the sun finally set, the group came up from the tomb. This is the first time Lydia and Nanina has seen the ruins of the temple built around their prison.

“So, this is what they built around us.”

Nanina said looking at the ruined temple, and the half-destroyed pillars. All yellow and brown with age, the ruins were indeed impressive though.

“I see no markings or symbols of the Romantians. They did not want anyone to ask why they would build a temple in the middle of the Dark Forest.”

Lydia surmised and Tabitha had to agree with her. If the Romantians did not want the twins to use the realm gate to gain access to this fortress, why did they not destroy them after sealing them? For whatever reasons, the Romantians did not have either the time or the power to kill the twins permanently.

“As soon as it gets darker, we will take flight to Camelot.”

Tabitha stated.

“Right O cap’n.”

Balca said cheerily, hefting a bag over her shoulder. She was not the only one with a brown leather aged bag, Zula and Talin carried leather bags strapped one side over their shoulders. Each bag had gold in them, gold found in the ruins of the temple. Balca had stated that since they were going to pretend to be human women, it would be better if they had gold to rent rooms and buy supplies. As to convince the mortals of their human status. As the sun finally went down and light gave way to darkness, Tabitha said.

“Alright ladies, let’s—”

Tabitha stopped talking abruptly and snapped her head to the west end of the ruins to where the dark trees of the forest were thickest. Kasca did the same, having sensed the same thing her Lady did. Everyone else followed their example, for a time there was silence. Then Tabitha called out in a loud authoritative voice.

“You might as well come out. I can not only hear you; I can smell you too. The decay of flesh and the smell of necromancy magic.”

After a few more quick moments, a man stepped out of the forest. Clad in brown leather armor and woolen clothing with two swords strapped to his back, and daggers in his belt. Lydia drew out her scepter, a long black metal rod with a blood red ruby at the top. Nanina drew out her bastard sword with a two-handed hilt and another crimson ruby embedded in the blade near the cross guard. Kasca had already drawn out her six swords, Zula, Talin, Balca, and Malice were in the rear. Ready to cast spells, and Tabitha stood at the front as the man stopped five meters away from the group.

The man wore a dark red bandanna over his head, half of it covered his left eye. The right eye was bright with an eerie green glow. His bare arms were muscled and scarred, this one’s a fighter and more. Tabitha thought sniffing, taking in the man’s scent. She did not like what the smell told her.

“Greetings she-devil.”

The man bowed with a smile that showed yellowed and blackened teeth.

“I now see why the holy and light magic which sealed these ruins are now gone.”

The man looked around the ruins with a greedy expression on his face. Then his glowing green eye spotted the bags carried by Balca and the others.

“I see that you wasted no time plundering the temple for its riches.”

“If you seek treasure, there is plenty left in the ruins. Go ahead, take what you want. We have what we need.”

Tabitha said never taking her eyes off the man who was more than a man.

“Oh? What would the denizens of the Nether Realm want with treasure?”

The man asked in a nonchalant voice, Tabitha narrowed her gaze.

“That is our business.”

Tabitha’s voice broke no argument.

“The ruins are yours; we have what we need.”

The man shook his head, showing an expression of regret.

“I’m afraid she-devil that I can’t let you leave just yet. Gaining access to the temple is one thing but coming across a she-devil and her minions. Well, we can’t just let this opportunity pass us by.”

Before Tabitha could respond to the man’s words, he lifted his right hand quickly and unleashed a stream of green energy at Tabitha. As soon as the necromancer launched his attack, creatures emerged out of the darkness of the forest and charged the women. First, undead warriors the necromancer had reanimated ran out with all sorts of weapons. Swords, axes, daggers, and so on. The reanimated corpses wore half rotten armor or rags that use to be clothes or nothing at all. Many of the corpses are full skeletons, quite a few were half decayed, and some were newly dead. But they all obeyed the necromancer’s commands to attack. Behind the small army of the dead, goblins charged forth with spears, swords, and shields. They were small, at least 4 feet in height and wearing mismatch armor. Behind the goblins and the army of the dead though, Tabitha heard Nanina curse out loud and spoke.

“That’s all we need right now, a blasted War Troll.”

It was a monster of a beast, at least 10-feet-tall. Not as big as Tabitha but wider with more bulk and muscle. Face like the surface of a granite rock complete with a bulbus nose, and tusks from its lower jaw. Its green and grey skin was like rhino hid and covered with a breastplate armor, forearm braces, and shin guards. The War Troll wielded a humongous hammer with a wooden shaft the size of an oak tree trunk. The green energy attack from the necromancer struck a barrier Tabitha had erected over herself and her friends. She saw how the green spell splashed and dripped down her barrier like water or some liquid. When droplets of the green liquid hit the ground, Tabitha saw how the earth melted and smoked. An acid spell, Tabitha thought glad that she had prepared for an attack. Just as the waves of undead struck their lines.

Nanina and Kasca unleashed a battle cry and met their foes with steel. Kasca with her six swords flashing like light itself. Nanina swung and stabbed with her bastard sword with quick no waste in motion movements. Maybe not as fast as Kasca, but with each strike she took off heads and pierced through brains or lack thereof. Lydia cast both fire and dark magic, burning or vaporizing the undead. Malice summoned a whip of fire, using it to great effect. Striking multiple undead with one swing, they caught fire as soon as the whip bit them. Zula summoned a flaming sword and began to way into the undead, striking them down one after the other in quick succession. Succubi may be alluring, but they are she-demons and all demons are dangerous.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Balca and Talin took to the sky, raining fireballs down at the enemy. Providing air support to their allies and avoiding the enemy’s counterattacks. The undead tried to swarm Tabitha, but with a quick spin she batted them aside with her tail. Then she cast fireballs at the undead, burning them to ashes with flames as hot as those from the Nether Realm. The battle became even more chaotic as the goblins finally got into the fray. Tabitha was distracted by a goblin who stabbed at her angle, that is why she did not see the War Troll in time to avoid its hammer. The hammer struck Tabitha dead center in her golden breastplate, lifting her off the ground and sending her flying several yards away.

Tabitha was five feet taller than the War Troll, so the monster had to swing upward in order to hit her. Because of this, not much power was placed in the blow with gravity working against it. Nevertheless, if a human man had taken that blow, he would be dead before hitting the ground. As such, when Tabitha landed hard on the moist ground, she knew that her sternum and several ribs were broken. Before she was fully healed, the War Troll was standing over her bringing its hammer down aiming for Tabitha’s head. Rolling to the side, Tabitha avoided the hammer as it crashed down on the spot she was just laying on. Wet earth and debris went flying by the time she got back to her feet. Tabitha’s bones had fully healed as the War Troll stared at her with those greenish-yellow eyes. Tabitha snarled and the War Troll roared, and then they charged each other.

Lydia side stepped the spear thrust the goblin had unleashed to her face. She retaliated with a back-handed swing of her scepter, striking the goblin in the head with its shaft. There was power behind the blow, sending the head of the goblin flying off its shoulders. Then she cast a wave of dark magic at three goblins charging her. As soon as the magic hit them, they shriveled up into sacks of meat and broken bones. Lydia looked around seeing how the battle was progressing. Nanina had just finished dispatching a zombie and a goblin simultaneously with her sword when Lydia asked.

“Where’s Tabitha!?”

Nanina looked around then pointed.

“There!”

Lydia followed her sister’s pointing finger just in time to see Tabitha deliver a one two punch to the War Troll’s jaw breaking it in several places and then slashed his chest open with her talons. But trolls are difficult opponents to manage because they have powerful healing abilities. In the blink of an eye, the War Troll’s jaw was set, and his open chest sealed closed leaving not a scar. Then with another roar it swung its hammer for Tabitha’s head, the she-devil ducked and deliver a debilitating kick shattering the War Troll’s knee cap. As the War Troll screamed in pain, Tabitha jumped and kneed the creature in the face. Blood and tusk went flying from the War Trolls face, but Tabitha did not relent she kept striking. Hitting and kicking, keeping the monster off balance, and not allowing him to fully heal. Piling on the damage.

“Wow, she’s taking the troll apart. Not allowing it to rest or heal. That’s a good strategy.”

Nanina said approvingly, Lydia was about to comment when a green strike of energy struck Tabitha on her right wing. Sending the greater she-devil flying to the side, half her wing melted from acidic magic. The necromancer walking towards the now down she-devil.

“Curse that necromancer.”

Lydia said turning to her sister.

“Let’s go.”

“Right behind you.”

Getting hit with an acid spell and having half her wing melt was pain beyond anything Tabitha had ever felt. But thanks to her new devil body, her right wing was already beginning to regenerate. Slowly getting back to her feet, she saw the necromancer standing next to the War Troll. The necromancer let out a laugh that caused the glow in his right eye to flare briefly.

“Tonight, is a good night. I gain the riches of the temple and a she-devil will soon be at my command.”

“Another fool who thinks he can bend me to his will.”

Tabitha snarled out, and the necromancer smiled.

“My lovely, not only will I bend you to my will. I will break you to my will. Now go!”

The necromancer commanded the War Troll, and the creature charged Tabitha. As the two behemoths fought with talons and hammer, the necromancer waited for his chance to strike at the she-devil again. As an opening appeared, the necromancer was about to cast another one of his acidic spells when he sensed danger with his preternatural senses. Diving and rolling to one side, the necromancer barely managed to avoid the fireball aimed at his back. As he rolled to his feet, the necromancer drew both blades from his back just in time to block the sword swing aimed at his head with his own sword. He slashed out with his other sword, but the Cambion danced out of reach.

The female Cambion darted back in, aiming her sword at his throat. The necromancer deflected the blade with his own, and at the same time struck back at the Cambion with his other sword. Again, the Cambion avoided the bite from the necromancer’s serrated sword. The necromancer and the Cambion swordswoman traded blows back and forth. Steel flashed in the darkness and sparks erupted in the space between them. The necromancer was so focused on fighting the Cambion before him, that he did not see her twin casting a spell at his feet.

Suddenly, without warning. Tendrils of dark energy sprouted from beneath the earth to wrap around the necromancer. Before the necromancer could counter with a spell of his own, the blade of Nanina’s bastard sword erupted in flames and struck. The necromancer could not move, he did not have time to cast any magic that could save him. The Cambion was too quick and the head of the necromancer flew engulfed in fire. But Nanina was not done just yet, she turned around and brought down her sword on the necromancer’s headless body. Cutting it in half from neck to groin, the two halves falling away in flames.

With the necromancer dead, the undead zombies that were fighting suddenly fell to the ground unmoving. With half their forces gone, the goblins lost the will to fight and fled the battle. Tabitha had already gained the upper hand against the War Troll. Without the necromancer lending the creature aid, Tabitha was able to unarm the beast by slash both its wrists open. Cutting the tendons thus allowing the hammer to fall from the War Troll’s grasp. Moving faster than thought, Tabitha struck the War Troll half a dozen times on its back, breaking the creature’s spine and paralyzing the beast for just a few moments. The War Troll fell to its knees in pain, and Tabitha grabbed the thing’s lower and upper jaws prying them wide open.

Inhaling deeply, Tabitha lungs filled with air. Then she bellowed out molten fire straight down the throat of the War Troll, who tried to break free from Tabitha’s grip with no success. Bones were burnt blacken, organs were consumed by her fire, and the flesh finally erupted in flames. As the War Troll burned from the inside out, Tabitha ripped off the creatures burning head from its body. Making sure the War Troll would not have the ability to regenerate itself again. In a matter of seconds, the mighty War Troll was nothing but ashes. With her fight over, Tabitha looked around to see the state of the battle.

Dozens of corpses littered the grounds of the ruins, the necromancer was dead already becoming ashes like the War Troll. The goblins were in retreat leaving behind many of their fallen brethren. Kasca’s blades were glistening with blood and magic, Talin and Balca were landing having done their work. Zula and Malice were putting away their weapons, not a scratch on their perfect bodies. Tabitha was not worried about the others; she was more concerned for the twins. She sighed in relief when she saw Lydia and Nanina going over the burnt remains of the necromancer.

“Found anything useful?”

Tabitha asked as she approached the twins.

“No, nothing just some coins we can add to our funds.”

Nanina said standing up from her crotched position.

“I don’t understand it.”

Lydia said still kneeling over the remains of the necromancer.

“He must have been mad. Why else would he attack a greater she-devil with five demons and two Cambions in her party.”

“Simple.”

Tabitha said.

“The necromancer was too use to being the big fish in a small pond.”

When Lydia and Nanina looked at the greater she-devil with questioning expressions, Tabitha continued.

“The necromancer probably considered the entire Dark Forest his territory. Because up until now no one could challenge him. In the brief moments we met, I could tell that the necromancer was decades old. All the while he never realized that there were bigger and badder predators out there in the wide world. He thought anything is his territory was his for the taking.”

“Well, he thought wrong then, didn’t he?”

Talin said and Balca gave a thumbs up. Kasca came up and bowed to Tabitha.

“Lady Tabitha, the enemy isss either dead or have retreated. Victory isss oursss.”

Tabitha was about to tell Kasca to just call her by name and leave out the Lady part. But when she saw the satisfied expression on the marilith’s face, Tabitha said instead.

“You did a wonderful job Kasca, thank you.”

The marilith’s smile grew even wider, and Tabitha decided that she should give credit to everyone else.

“All of you, every one of you were amazing. Those fools did not stand a chance.”

“You weren’t too bad yourself Tabitha.”

Lydia said.

“Yeah, the way you took down the War Troll. I mean I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Nanina said with admiration, and the others nodded.

“Agreed, for our first battle it went well.”

Malice said in a dignified air.

“We rock!”

Zula jumped up with her hands raised.

“Okay everybody. If there is nothing left, then let us be on our way.”

After confirming that everyone was ready to go, Tabitha and the others took off into the night sky. Heading north for Camelot.