The underground chamber trembled under the weight of the cult's reinforcements. Dark-robed enforcers, their armor glinting with shadow-forged runes, poured into the room, weapons drawn and faces masked by corruption.
Kaelron braced himself as he helped Nyx to her feet. Her breathing was labored, faint traces of dark energy crackling along her arms after her attempt to channel the orb's power.
"Can you move?" he asked, worry etched on his face.
Nyx gave a faint nod, her grip tightening on her daggers. "I'll manage. What's the plan?"
Kaelron glanced at the approaching enforcers, then at Ignis, who stood defensively between them and the enemies. "Hold the line and survive."
Ignis flared her wings, her feathers glowing dimly as she prepared to strike.
The enforcers wasted no time. The leader at their head pointed a shadow-imbued blade toward Kaelron and shouted, "Kill the intruders! For the Maw!"
The first wave of enforcers surged forward. Ignis lunged to meet them, her talons slicing through the air with deadly precision. Her fiery strikes forced the enforcers to scatter, but their sheer numbers kept them advancing.
Kaelron swung his staff, unleashing a radiant wave of energy that knocked two enemies off their feet.
A third enforcer charged him, but Kaelron sidestepped the strike and countered with a precise thrust of his staff, sending the attacker sprawling.
Nyx, despite her weakened state, moved with deadly precision. She ducked under a heavy swing, spinning behind her opponent to deliver two quick slashes. Her daggers flashed in the dim light as she parried another strike and drove her blade into the enforcer's side.
"They're too organized," Nyx muttered between labored breaths.
Kaelron nodded, his expression grim as he fended off another attack. "They're not just soldiers. They're trained for this."
The enforcers began to spread out, their formation tightening to box the two in.
---
In the main hall, chaos reigned. Cultists scrambled to follow the cult leader's enraged orders, and the room buzzed with frenetic energy.
Zerin and Eryk pushed through the chaos, dispatching any opposition in their path.
"We need to get to Kaelron and Nyx before they're overwhelmed," Eryk said, his tone sharp.
Zerin's eyes darted to a robed figure slipping through a side door. His instincts flared. "Hold that thought. I've got a runner."
Eryk followed Zerin's gaze and nodded. "Go. I'll hold things here."
Zerin hesitated, his usual grin replaced by a steely resolve. "Don't get yourself killed."
Without waiting for a response, Zerin took off, chasing the fleeing figure down a narrow hallway.
---
Back in the chamber, Kaelron and Nyx found themselves increasingly cornered.
The air grew colder, and a heavy, oppressive presence filled the room. A robed figure stepped through the ranks of enforcers, their shadow-forged robes billowing unnaturally.
Kaelron's stomach tightened as the figure raised a hand, their voice echoing with power. "You dare defile the sanctity of this place?"
The cult leader's presence radiated malice, their very words filling the chamber with dread.
Nyx's grip on her daggers tightened as she muttered, "Great. Now we have their boss to deal with."
Kaelron stepped forward, his staff glowing faintly. "You can't keep spreading this corruption. We'll stop you."
The cult leader chuckled darkly, the
sound reverberating through the
chamber. "You are nothing but a fleeting
ember in the Maw's eternal shadow. Your
defiance is futile."
With a wave of their hand, tendrils of
shadow erupted from the ground, lashing
out at Kaelron and Nyx.
Kaelron raised his staff, summoning a
shield of light to block the tendrils. The
shadows struck with unrelenting force,
sending cracks through the barrier.
"l can't hold this forever!" Kaelron
shouted.
Nyx dashed forward, evading the tendrils
with swift, agile movements. She flanked
the cult leader, aiming for a quick strike.
But before her daggers could connect, a
tendril shot out, forcing her to backflip
away.
Ignis roared, leaping into the fray. Her
fiery talons clashed with the tendrils,
burning through some of them while
others snaked around her wings. The
griffon screeched in defiance, her flames
surging as she tore free.
Kaelron unleashed a burst of radiant
energy, forcing the tendrils to retreat
momentarily. "We're running out of
options!" he called to Nyx.
"We hold until backup arrives," Nyx
replied, her gaze darting toward the
chamber's entrance.
Zerin's chase led him to a room filled
with cultists frantically burning
documents. The robed figure he had
been following barked orders to the
others. "Destroy everything! Leave no
trace!"
Zerin smirked, stepping into the room.
"Sorry to interrupt. Looks like you're in a
rush."
The cultists turned, drawing weapons, but
Zerin was faster. His daggers flashed as
he leapt forward, dispatching two cultists
in quick succession.
The robed figure hissed in frustration,
retreating toward an exit.
"Oh, you're not getting away," Zerin said,
hurling a dagger that clipped the figure's
shoulder.
The robed figure snarled, raising a hand
to summon a shadow beast. The
creature lunged at Zerin, forcing him to
roll to the side.
"Just my luck," Zerin muttered, readying
his daggers for the fight.
---
In the main hall, Eryk fought with
calculated precision, his blade flashing
as he fended off waves of cultists.
Frostbane, stationed just outside, howled,
creating a barrier of frost to block
reinforcements.
The cultists pressed harder, their
desperation palpable as they tried to
overwhelm him.
Eryk's eyes narrowed as he sensed a
shift in the room's energy. The air grew
heavier, and faint tremors ran through the
floor.
"They're in trouble," he muttered,
dispatching another cultist. "l need to get
to them."
---
Back in the chamber, the cult leader
unleashed another wave of tendrils.
Kaelron and Nyx dodged and countered
as best they could, but their movements
were growing sluggish.
The cult leader sneered. "You delay the
inevitable. Surrender, and I may grant you
mercy."
Kaelron gritted his teeth, summoning a
burst of radiant energy that forced the
tendrils back. "We'll never bow to the
Maw."
Ignis let out a powerful screech,
launching herself at the cult leader. The
griffon's talons clashed with the shadows
surrounding the leader, creating an
explosion of light and dark.
In the confusion, Nyx closed the
distance, driving her dagger into the cult
leader's side. The leader howled in pain,
their control over the tendrils faltering.
Zerin burst into the chamber moments
later, bloodied but determined. "Miss
me?" he asked, hurling a dagger that
struck an enforcer advancing on Kaelron.
Kaelron nodded. "Perfect timing. We
need to get out of here."
With Zerin's help, the group began to
push their way out of the chamber. Ignis
and Nyx covered their retreat, striking
down the remaining enforcers as Kaelron
unleashed bursts of radiant energy to
keep the cult leador at bay.
"You may delay us today," the leader
shouted as the group fled, their voice
echoing with fury. "But the Maw's rise is
inevitable!"
The group emerged into the night,
regrouping at the grove where their
beasts waited. Frostbane let out a low
growl, circling protectively as Ignis
landed beside Kaelron.
"We made it," Zerin said, collapsing
against a tree. "Barely."
Kaelron glanced at Nyx, who leaned
heavily on her daggers. "Are you okay?"
She nodded weakly. "We stopped the orb.
That's what matters."
Eryk frowned, his tone grim. "We
destroyed the orb, but the cult is still
ahead of us. They're not stopping."
Kaelron clench his fist, his resolve hardening. "Then we keep going. We can't let them win."