"There's something ahead," said Velvet as they walked down a dark corridor in the depths of the catacombs.

Chloe turned to study the girl. The mage light had dulled her own night vision, she couldn't believe the one eyed girl could see so far in the gloom.

Being an undead had done more than just grant Chloe unholy strength and a grim appetite. Her hearing and smell had improved. Even over their own footsteps, she could hear the scuff of bare feet moving over hard ground far ahead.

"Can you tell what it is?" she asked.

Velvet rubbed her eye patch. "I can sense a life form, but nothing more than that."

Chloe stared down in the deep darkness. "I can scout ahead."

Gus shook his head. “No, I should go.”

Who said chivalry was dead.

“You make too much noise in that armor,” she said, “We could be walking into a trap. I think it's best if I go.”

Gus placed a hand on her shoulder, "If you aren't back in five minutes, we'll come after you," he said.

Chloe smiled, it was good being amongst humans again.

She stepped forward on the balls of her feet and without looking back again, she vanished into the shadows.

The sound of her companions faded away, and the air grew cold as she moved deeper into the depths.

There was never silence in the dungeon. If she strained her ears enough, she could always hear something. Maybe a monster devouring its latest victim, or the sounds of the dungeon itself. Sometimes it felt like it was alive and breathing. It would groan, and she swore that at times the tunnels shifted and new doors appeared.

She paused and crouched low when she heard something in the distance screaming out in agony. It was far off but still too close for comfort.

When the screams stopped, she continued on. The air grew thinner as she walked, and at times she felt a cool breeze on her skin from an unknown source.

She reached an intersection and bent down to study the ground. It was clear from the tiny footprints in the sand and small droplets of blood that the left path was used often.

But the right path was the one that frightened her the most. The air was thicker down that way, and it carried the scent of decay.

She turned down the well-used path and kept walking, her hand touching the wall for support as the tunnel grew ever darker.

A crunch and then the sound of flesh tearing echoed through the tunnel. Chloe backed away and extended her claws.

Footsteps approached her at a speed. Something small, about the size of a child, appeared running towards her, its skin slick with blood.

It reached for her, its eyes wide in fright. Chloe didn't hesitate. She swung a clawed hand, cutting through the thing's neck effortlessly.

[Goblin Hunter Killed - Progress Towards Next Evolution: 61%]

She pressed her body against the wall and waited in silence, straining to hear if there was anything else nearby.

A minute passed with no sound or movement. Chloe sighed and relaxed.

She looked down at the corpse and with the tip of her boot, she pushed the creature over and stared into the lifeless eyes of the goblin.

She looked back the way she had come, just in case her companions had followed her. She still wasn't sure that they trusted her. She’d noticed that Gus was keeping an eye on her at all times. She feared that the swordsman might have seen through her innocent victim routine.

When she was sure that she was truly alone, she bent down and sliced open the goblins head and fed.

She needed to eat as much as possible. If the humans could get her out of here, then she didn't want to risk turning on them. Not until they’d made their escape.

After her meal, she collected the monster's soul stone, wiped her bloodied hands on her robes and turned back to call the others.

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

"Are you certain this is safe?" Velvet asked, as the four companions stood in front of a set of stairs cut into the rock and leading further down.

Gus shook his head. "Not really."

Chloe said, "We got the soul stone from the goblin. We should leave now."

Quinby nodded, the young healer had barely spoken a single word since they had left the safe haven early that morning.

"Please, Gus," said Velvet.

The swordsman sighed, "I had hoped to collect more soul stones, but if you are that scared, then let's get out of here. I wouldn't mind a warm meal." He winked at Chloe. “And maybe a hot bath together.”

Chloe watched him from the corner of her eye, what would the man do when he saw her in full daylight. Would he know what she was?

“Ok, let go,” Gus said, he waved Quinby over. “Lead the way, light bearer.”

As they turned to leave, a clear and unmistakable voice echoed down the tunnels.

"Hello?" the voice rang out.

If Chloe’s heart still worked, it would have skipped a beat. It was a girl's voice.

"It’s Kim," said Quinby, his voice quivering with excitement. "I’d recognize that voice anywhere."

"Wait!” said Velvet, “It can't be her, that's impossible.”

"Kim, is that you!" called Quinby.

"Don't," said Chloe. "This is a trap."

"How would you know?" asked the swordsman, and his eyebrows narrowed as he looked at her.

Chloe hesitated, something didn't feel right. The goblin she’d killed had been running away from something. It wouldn't run away from a human child.

"Help me!" called the girl. "Please, it's so dark. Somebody save me."

"It's coming from this way," said Quinby and he pointed his wand down a passageway. “It's my sister, it has to be her.”

“We should leave,” said Chloe as she backed away towards the exit.

Velvet grabbed hold of Quinby’s sleeve, “She died a year ago, Quin,” she pleaded. “You know it can't be her.”

Gus drew his sword and Quinby readied a spell, and the light radiated out of the end of his wand.

"You girls can stay if you want," said Gus, hotly. "But let it be never said that I was too afraid to save a child in need."

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It started with a low buzzing sound, and then all at once the visions hit like an axe to the side of her head.

Her vision went black behind tears that couldn't be stopped.

She staggered forwards and fell to one knee as a flood of images came. The goblin running. It was terrified. Its family had been torn to shreds by something massive.

Velvet shouted something, but Chloe couldn't understand the words. The drum in her head was pounding too loudly.

She tried to stand again, but the world spun. Her head collided with something solid.

Through the haze of blurry images, Chloe could just make out the three adventurers leaving her behind. Velvet was gesturing for her to follow.

“Wai—” Chloe tried to get the words out.

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“It's—,” she took in a deep breath, “It's— it's a trap,” the words spilled out of her in a jumble.

But it was too late, the three friends were already disappearing down the passage.

The goblin had escaped as its family was torn apart by the Behemoth. The Lord of the Catacombs.

Chloe fought to regain her footing, her vision gradually clearing as she blinked away the blurriness.

Before her lay the entrance to a tunnel, its yawning darkness seeming to stretch into the abyss.

With unsteady steps, she advanced into the tunnel, the haunting images that had besieged her mind began to fade like shadows before the dawn.

In the distance, the faint murmurs and whispers of the adventurers reached her ears, a reassuring sound of life amid the eerie silence of the underground.

Relief washed over her; at least, her companions were still alive.

"I'm stuck!" Quinby resonated in the distance. "It won't let go."

As Chloe regained her strength, she quickened her pace.

A sword clashed loudly against stone, followed by Gus cursing loudly.

Suddenly, a burst of fire illuminated the room, revealing the shadowy figures of the three individuals desperately trying to break free as menacing rows of jagged teeth loomed ominously around them.

The Behemoth wasn't inside the chamber. It was the chamber. The cage was its teeth and the small girl, in the center of the room, the bait.

Chloe didn't think twice. She dived through a row of teeth that were closing shut around her companions.

She landed in something wet and sticky. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was. Not just saliva but gallons of blood.

She felt a tugging on her leg and an arm was wrapped around her ankle. A hand reached up and grabbed her hair. Another hand closed over her face. Hands reached out of the monster's gums and pulled her in.

Someone screamed in terror and pain. It was Quinby, who had been trapped under the monster's tongue. It wrapped around him, and a bone crunching sound echoed throughout the room that was the Behemoth's mouth.

The mouth continued to close, and new teeth appeared all around them, boxing them in like prison bars.

Chloe grabbed hold of Velvet and leapt out of the tiny hole that still remained in the Behemoth’s closing mouth.

The demon’s tongue lashed out and caught Chloe’s leg, yanking her back.

The two girls fell back into the mouth. Sticky saliva began to rise up from under the earth, filling the demon’s mouth.

Velvet illuminated the head of her staff, and pale blue light revealed their new surroundings. They were trapped in the mouth of the demon. With razor sharp teeth forming the perimeter.

Black tattoos rippled up Velvet’s arm, and fire appeared in her hand. She launched fireball after another down the giant demon’s throat, but it did not budge or even paused for a second.

Time was running out for them. The saliva was rising. Chloe clambered over the teeth and clawed at the inner lining of the monster’s mouth, trying to cut a way out.

The saliva kept rising until, eventually, it was up to her neck. Her skin stung, and she realized that the saliva was slowly eating away at their skin like acid.

She turned around and saw Velvet flailing as she tried to stay above the liquid.

Chloe didn't need to breathe, but Velvet did, and the girl was running out of oxygen quickly.

Velvet’s wide eyes watched Chloe in terror as the saliva kept rising. Those eyes reminded her of the way her sister had looked at her as she laid bleeding on the streets of Seattle.

It felt like it had happened a lifetime ago. Being in the catacombs in constant fear had made her forget about her purpose.

But she had a goal, one reason to keep on living. She would save Hope.

“Hold on!” Chloe shouted. “I’ll save you.”

[Oath of Pain: Activated]

Chloe screamed as the flames burst out of her skin and bathed the monster’s mouth in light.

With her new strength, she tore chunks of flesh off the walls of the monster's mouth. It trembled in pain, releasing its grip on Velvet.

Chloe reached back and grabbed hold of Velvet’s arm. The girl felt limp in her arms, but Chloe didn't have time to think about that. She screamed as she slashed at the wall until a hole appeared. She tore it wide and then with all the strength she had left she forced her way through the hole.

She landed heavily on solid ground with Velvet beside her.

She rolled over, coughing up fluids and blood. When her fit was over, she reached out and turned Velvet over and looked into the eyes of the girl who reminded her of Hope.

Velvet’s eye patch had fallen away. Her one eye was black as night and the other blue and lifeless, her face frozen in a look of panic.

[Oath of Pain: Deactivated]

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

Gus and Quinby were gone and Chloe was all that remained. She picked up the lifeless body of Velvet and carried her out of the chamber.

She didn't bother looking back at the monster eating her other two companions. She felt defeated.

She stumbled along carrying Velvet. She could barely stand, but she kept moving forward. Every time she looked down, she could see Velvet's blood staining her clothes and dripping on the floor.

She knew that the scent of blood would draw the monsters, but she wouldn't let them have the girl's body.

She moved as quickly as she could, backtracking to the spot where she'd first found the adventurers. From what they'd told her, they hadn't been in the dungeons for long before they'd come across the shadow demon.

Which means the exit is close.

A few minutes later, she heard footsteps. They denizens of the catacombs were stalking her.

Chloe turned around and saw a dark figure approaching. It was weary of her. Maybe the monsters higher up were weaker than the ones she had faced in the depths of the catacombs.

The figure whistled as it came closer, the sound shrill and haunting.

Chloe turned and ran, and the figure followed. She tripped over a rock, but she caught herself before falling. She stumbled on, but the figure was fast. It leapt through the air and Chloe caught the glint of steel in its hand and the unmistakable reptilian tail.

A sword raked across her arm and burnt into her flesh. Her skin sizzled and popped. She ignored it and kept running, a burst of adrenaline giving her new speed.

A shadow moved by her side, and Chloe dropped Velvet's body and raised her hands to defend herself. The sword bit into her wrist and hit the bone.

Her arm was violently yanked out of its shoulder socket, causing her to crumple to the ground.

The shadowy figure approached, nonchalantly dragging the blade behind it.

With her good arm, Chloe reached out and grabbed her amulet.

The Draconian warrior stopped over her. Its sword raised high, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

"If you can hear me," Chloe shouted. "I need you."

The demon paused, and a wicked grin split its face.

In response to her, words, the amulet grew warm in her hand.

"Onyx," she said, as the name floated through her mind. "Onyx, I summon you."

The Draconian swung its sword straight at Chloe's neck.

Chloe felt Onyx, the black rabbit, responding to her call.

Energy pulsed in her hand in anticipation as a streak of black energy raced through the tunnels at godlike speed.

Time seemed to slow as her familiar drew near. The sword was halfway to her neck when movement appeared around the corner.

Onyx in its ethereal form collided with the amulet, and an explosion of light erupted in Chloe's hand.

The sound of steel striking against steel rang out through the tunnels as Chloe's Ethereal Armament took shape in her extended hand.

[Ethereal Armament: Spirit Scythe]

A black scythe as tall as Chloe appeared in her hand. The blade was curved like the sickle moon and on the bottom of the pole was a round fluffy rabbit tail.

Chloe jumped to her feet and charged at the Draconian warrior.

It turned to face her and brought its sword down again. But it was too slow.

Her spirit scythe met the creature's blade, and magic slammed against the mundane weapon.

A flash of black energy exploded outward and the creature was thrown back. It crashed against a wall, but before it could get back to its feet, Chloe was over it, her blade arcing through the air. It sank deep into the creature's chest, and the monster gave a strangled cry before collapsing.

Chloe stood there for a moment in stunned silence and then as if time had started again she stooped down and picked up the shining green gem.

She lifted it to her amulet, and it swallowed the gem whole.

[Spirit Scythe Evolved Into Pathfinder's Scythe]

The weapon began to change in her hand, the blade twisting, forming into what looked like a demon’s wing.

Blood coated her arms and her legs were soaked in the crimson liquid. She looked down at the new scythe in her hand and then up to the tunnel where Velvet's body lay.

She heard more footsteps coming.

She needed to run. As if her armament understood her need, the weapon shattered in her hands, disintegrating in a shower of black sparks.

Chloe scooped up Velvet's body and ran.

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

The air grew less stuffy the higher Chloe went, and a faint light appeared up ahead. The light grew brighter, and she could see more details in the room beyond.

Finally, she reached a stone door, standing alone, in the center of the room.

Her pursuers were getting closer.

Chloe touched the door and her hand convulsed in pain. The door shimmered, and blue symbols appeared on its frame.

It's warded to keep monsters inside.

Chloe reached out and touched the runes, and then recoiled when a jolt of pain shot up her arm.

A stone crashed against the wall beside her head. Chloe whirled to see monsters pouring out of the tunnels. They whooped and called out to her hungrily.

They want Velvet’s body.

Chloe took the girl’s bloody and lifeless hand and pressed it against the door.

If this doesn't work, then it's game over.

The runes blinked out in an instant, and wind swept into the room. With a loud creak, the door swung open.

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

The ancient door stood alone, surrounded by a field of sunflowers. The sun was bright and hot, and the smell of flowers was intoxicating.

Chloe stepped through the doorway and into a garden.

She was finally out. Instead of dark stone walls and glowing mushrooms, this place was brightly lit with colorful blooms and trees swaying in the breeze.

She looked around and saw nothing hostile. There was no sign of the monsters that pursued her.

Chloe stared at the flowers for what felt like hours. She'd been running so long, she didn't know if she could run anymore.

"We made it, Hope," she said as she looked at the lifeless body of the dead girl.

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

Chloe placed Velvet's body under a maple tree and laid down beside her, staring up at the sky. She remembered her days as a child, popping clouds with her brother and sister. They had really believed that they had magic and that they could burst the clouds and keep the sky blue just by thinking it.

But now, she was here in another world. She had magic but no siblings. The sky was blue, but she was so alone.

"It's going to be ok, Hope. From now on, everything is going to get better."

[Hunger 24%]

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