Max took a deep breath and led the way, carefully going down the narrow staircase hidden behind the wardrobe. The steps were worn and uneven, one wrong step and he would end up at the bottom of the staircase. The dim light barely let them see where they were going as they moved deeper into the catacombs below the cathedral.
Snickers followed close behind, his ears twitching with every sound. "This place gives me the chills," he whispered.
"Be careful, focus," Max replied softly, trying to keep his own fear in check. "We don't know what we'll find down here."
Lett, peeking out from the backpack, shivered. "I have a bad feeling about this."
The staircase seemed to go on forever, spiraling down into the earth, to the hell. The air grew colder the deeper they went. Finally, they reached the bottom, welcomed by a long, narrow corridor lined with ancient stone walls covered in cobwebs and moss.
They followed the lit torches that we placed on the walls. As they moved forward, the faint sound of chanting reached their ears. Max's heart pounded in his chest, a heavy wooden door at the end of the corridor stood in silence. The chanting grew louder and more intense, they could feel dark energy that made the hairs on the back of Max's neck stand up.
Max pushed the door slowly, revealing a large underground chamber. Hooded figures in dark robes surrounded a circle of blood and candles, their faces hidden in shadow. In the center of the circle lay a priest, bound and gagged, his eyes wide with fear.
The floor was marked with mysterious runes and symbols, glowing with dark energy. The air was thick with the scent of burning weeds and blood. The hooded figures didn't notice Max, they chanted together, their voices rising and falling in a rhythmic pattern.
"They're trying to summon something," Snickers whispered, his voice trembling.
"Demons," Lett said. "They are summoning Demons."
"We have to stop them," Max said. "But we need to be careful."
They entered the room, sneaking, their backs on the walls. They looked around the room, trying to think of something to stop the summoning. One of the hooded figures noticed them and shouted: "Intruders!" The chanting stopped, and all eyes turned toward them.
Max's hand went to his wand, drawing and preparing to cast a spell. "Stay back!" he warned them, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "Release the priest and end this ritual, or face the consequences."
One of the hooded figures stepped forward, his face still hidden beneath his robe. "You dare to interrupt our sacred ceremony?!" he hissed. "You have no idea what powers you are meddling with!"
Max tightened his grip on his wand. "I don't care what you're trying to summon. This ends now!"
A tense silence followed. Then, with a sudden, furious motion, the leader raised his hands and began to chant once more, the other robed figures joining in. The room pulsed with dark energy, and the runes on the floor glowed brighter.
Max knew they had to act quickly. "Fireball!"
A giant explosion, and then silence. Lett muttered a few words, Max couldn't understand him, he looked at the priest's dead body, or the visible parts of it, that were on fire. Snickers covered his eyes, letting out a small giggle, not because something was funny but because he couldn't believe what just happened.
The hooded men also stood in silence. One of them got close to the guy that stepped forward. "They… they killed the priest."
"I know, I can… smell it."
"Uhm… so, what now?"
The hooded man started laughing. "You have guts kid, you decided to kill the priest because you thought that was the only way to stop the summoning, I applaud you!"
"Uhm… sure," Max responded, still shocked because he missed. He aimed at the hooded guy, not the priest.
"But, unfortunately for you, he was supposed to die for the portal to get opened!" The bloody circle started to shine in a green light, a portal was opening, and dark claws started to crawl out of the floor where the priest's body once stood.
Snickers pulled out his dagger, Lett said a few words, and a small, shimmering illusion of fire appeared at the edge of the circle, causing some of the robed figures to jump back in surprise.
"That's an imp!" the now obvious leader said. "It is just an illusion!"
"Max, watch out!" Snickers yelled, just as a bolt of dark energy shot toward him.
Max dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. "Elragment Spell!"
"NOW YOU CAN AIM RIGHT?!" Snickers yelled at Max, looking at the hooded guy's chest that started to grow.
"What the f…" the hooded guy looked at his chest which started to grow.
"No time to talk, they are distracted, run!" Max started running up the staircase, the earth shaking under his feet, the portal was soon completely opened.
Dark claws began to emerge from the swirling green vortex, and the robed figures' chanting grew more frantic. Shadows danced across the walls, heat started to rise.
"This is bad! This is really, really bad!" Snickers ran just behind Max.
"Keep moving!" Max shouted fighting with the steps. Behind them, the chamber was filled with dark energy, the portal had fully opened and demons started to come out of it.
Finally, they burst through the hidden door and into the priest's room. Max slammed the door shut behind them, the sound of the demon's roar echoed through the corridors, and the entire room felt like it was vibrating.
"Quick!" Max said. "Start piling things up on the door so they can't leave!"
Lett peeked out of the backpack. "I can create a diversion, but I need a moment!"
"No time for that," Snickers said, his voice tight with fear. "We need to get out of here before the demons find us!"
Max threw objects against the door, piling them up to block and slow the demons and the robed figures. Just as he was finishing, "This should help!" a deafening explosion shook the room. The force of the blast threw Max off his feet, and he was stunned. His ears rang, and for a moment, all he could hear was a high-pitched whine.
Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring his vision. Through the haze, Max saw Snickers lying on the floor, covered in dust. The shock of the explosion had knocked him unconscious. Panic surged through Max as he tried to make sense of the chaos around him.
When his vision cleared, he saw that the entire hidden room had been blown apart. A massive hole now was in the floor where the portal had been, and the chamber was now a scene of utter devastation. The portal had ripped open further, and demons were pouring out, their monstrous forms and shrieking as they emerged.
The force of the explosion had caused massive destruction. Dust rained down, Max could hear distant screams and the sounds of destruction. The entire cathedral above was shaking, the sound of crumbling stone and fire filled the air.
Max struggled to his feet, his head still spinning from the blast. He rushed to Snickers, who was groaning and slowly regaining consciousness. Max shook him. "Snickers! Wake up! We need to get out of here!"
Snickers blinked, still struggling to focus. "What… what happened?"
"The portal exploded," Max said urgently. "We need to get to safety. The demons are out, and they're attacking the town!"
"I guess the blocking door plan didn't really stop them then."
"No time for jokes! Where is Lett?" his backpack wasn't on his back, and Lett was nowhere to be seen.
The two of them got to their feet. Max glanced at the massive hole in the ground, where demons of various shapes and sizes were emerging and flying out into the streets. The portal had torn through the floor and unleashed chaos on the town.
Outside, the once-grand square was in flames, and the sounds of panicked screams filled the air. Demons were wreaking havoc across Brighthaven. Some were flying through the sky, spewing fire and darkness, while others were attacking buildings and people below. The town was in chaos, with flames and smoke rising into the sky.
The night sky was filled with the glow of fire and the roar of combat, will Max think of something to save Brighthaven from complete destruction? Find out on the next episode of Drag… Wrong show, my bad!