Kael stood next to me, his breathing heavy, his fists trembling from the strain. He looked down at his hands, the slick, oily residue coating his knuckles still clinging stubbornly to his skin.
"Hold still," I said quickly, pointing my staff at him. A spray of water shot out, the steady stream washing over his hands. The slick didn't completely disappear, but at least the burning seemed to subside.
Kael flexed his fingers experimentally, then gave me a small nod. "Thanks, Thalia," he said, a faint grin tugging at his lips despite the situation.
"Don't thank me yet," I muttered, already shifting my attention back to the grotesque demon. My mind raced, trying to calculate the best approach. Fire? Too unpredictable in this cramped space. Ice? Maybe, but it would only slow it down, and this thing didn't seem the least bit interested in slowing down.
I glanced at Kael again. His attacks were impressive, devastating even—but against this thing, they were useless. The creature hadn't even flinched. Still, there was something I could work with. If Kael's punches weren't doing any damage, at least they were keeping it occupied.
"Kael," I said sharply, drawing his attention. His eyebrows lifted as he waited for the next order. "Keep hitting it."
His face twisted in confusion. "It's not—"
"Just do it!" I barked, leaving no room for argument.
Kael hesitated for only a moment before launching himself forward again, his movements a blur as he closed the distance between us and the demon. His fists crackled with thunder, each punch landing with a deafening boom that echoed through the cave. The creature quivered under the onslaught, but its grotesque grin only widened.
"Yes," it rasped, its voice thick with delight. "Yes, give me more!"
Kael didn't stop. Punch after punch landed with the force of a storm, the air vibrating with each strike. The creature's body rippled like gelatin, its bloated mass trembling with every blow.
That's when I noticed it.
The creature's grotesque form was changing, its bloated body growing larger with each hit. The oily sheen on its skin glistened in the dim light, and its flesh began to pulse faintly, like a grotesque heart pumping with newfound strength. The glow beneath its skin grew brighter, its grotesque boils pulsating with an eerie, sickly light.
"Kael, stop!" I shouted, panic rising in my chest.
It was too late.
The demon let out a guttural laugh, the sound echoing through the cave like nails scraping on stone. "More, more, more!" it bellowed, its voice trembling with ecstasy.
Kael's final punch connected just as the creature's body swelled to its limit. A massive pulse of energy erupted from the demon's bloated form, like a dam breaking under unbearable pressure. The shockwave hit Kael first, hurling him backward with such force that he collided with the cave wall, the air exploding from his lungs as he crumpled to the ground.
I winced as I watched him go down, my heart sinking. "Kael!" I shouted, but my voice was swallowed by the ringing in my ears and the laughter of the demon, now reveling in its power.
The creature shifted its grotesque gaze toward me, its bulging eyes locking onto mine with malicious glee. I could feel the air around it growing heavier, charged with the energy it had absorbed. The faint glow beneath its slimy, bloated skin began to intensify again, signaling another explosion.
It let out a low, gurgling chuckle as its body pulsated once more, the glow reaching a blinding brilliance. This time, I was ready.
Gripping my staff tightly, I slammed it into the ground, the impact reverberating through the cave. A shimmering shield of translucent energy flared into existence before me, just as the creature unleashed its devastating blast.
The shockwave struck my shield like a battering ram, the force rippling through the protective barrier. The air around me ignited with heat and power, and for a moment, I thought the shield might hold.
It didn't.
The sheer force of the explosion shattered the barrier, sending shards of magical energy flying around me. The backlash knocked me off my feet, my body slamming into the ground hard enough to drive the air from my lungs.
I gasped, struggling to push myself back up. My limbs trembled, and every inch of me felt like it had been slammed by a battering ram. But I was still alive, still conscious—and still standing, even if just barely.
"Brilliant," I muttered bitterly, wiping blood from the corner of my mouth. "This thing doesn't just eat power—it twists it, amplifies it, and throws it back. Like a sick, overstuffed slingshot."
The creature's laughter filled the cave, a mocking, guttural sound that made my stomach churn. "Is that all, Thalia?" it rasped, its voice dripping with contempt. "You're supposed to be one of the best. Surely, you can do better than this."
I gritted my teeth, gripping my staff as I steadied myself. I'd fought powerful monsters before—ones that could overpower, outwit, and outlast. But this? This was something else entirely. A creature that turned its opponent's strength against them, that thrived on greed and power.
And I had no counter against it.
The thought flickered in my mind like a whisper: Not every fight needs to be won today.
My grip on my staff tightened as I glanced at Kael. His body lay crumpled where he had landed, his chest rising and falling in shallow, uneven breaths. He was alive—barely. I had to get him out of here.
But how?
I scanned the cave, my eyes darting over the jagged walls and the slick, oily residue that coated everything. The air was thick with the creature's grotesque chuckles, its laughter echoing in a way that made my skin crawl. It knew it had the upper hand, knew it could take its time with me.
Not if I can help it.
With a flick of my staff, I cast a pulling spell. Kael's body lifted off the ground, floating toward me with an unsteady sway. Even in this condition, I couldn't have carried him if I tried. The kid was heavier than he looked—his muscular frame and dead weight far too much for me to manage. His limp form hovered beside me as I grit my teeth, trying to keep the spell stable.
"Hang on, kid," I muttered, though I doubted he could hear me.
The demon's voice cut through the tension, mocking and vile. "Running away, little mage? How very disappointing. I thought you were better than this."
I ignored it, scanning the cave for a solution. Supernova? No. The sheer scale of that spell would be too much. This thing would absorb it and throw it back at me with enough force to kill me where I stood. No, I needed something that could take this whole place down without giving it a chance to counter.
The realization clicked.
I raised my staff, pointing it at the craggy ceiling above the creature. Its grotesque form shifted slightly, the oozing boils on its body pulsating as it laughed again. "What's this? Another little trick? Do you really think you can—"
The burst of magic shot from my staff before it could finish, a concentrated blast aimed directly at the cavern's roof. The spell hit with a resounding crack, and for a split second, everything was still.
Then the cracks began to spread.
Thin fissures raced outward from the impact point, splintering like a spider's web across the stone. Dust and loose rocks rained down, and the laughter cut off abruptly as the creature looked up, its bulbous eyes widening.
I didn't wait to see what it would do. With Kael's body still floating beside me, I turned and bolted toward the cave entrance. Each step felt like an eternity as the ground shook beneath me, the sound of collapsing rock growing louder and louder.
By the time I reached the entrance, the cave was already coming down in earnest. I leaped out into the open air, pulling Kael's floating form with me as the final roar of the collapsing cave swallowed the world behind us.
I landed hard, the impact jarring my already battered body. For a moment, all I could do was lie there, gasping for breath as the dust settled around us. The mouth of the cave was now a jagged, impassable wall of rubble, sealing the creature inside.
I let out a shaky breath, wiping sweat and grime from my forehead. "I've got no shame in running," I muttered to myself. "Not from a fight I can't win."
Kael stirred faintly beside me, his breathing shallow but steady. He was alive. For now, that was enough.
I pushed myself onto my elbows, every muscle in my body screaming in protest. My vision swam for a moment, and the cold bite of the air against my scraped and battered skin was a cruel reminder of how close I'd come to losing everything in that cave.
My legs trembled as I forced myself upright, my staff barely keeping me steady. Every inch of me hurt in a way I hadn't thought possible—deep, bone-aching pain that told me just how far I'd pushed myself. Through all my years of fighting monsters and braving dangers, this was the closest I'd ever been to death.
I let out a bitter chuckle that turned into a cough.
Back then, I'd always had Roderick—his massive, unyielding body like a wall between me and danger. No matter what hell we faced, I'd always known he'd take the brunt of it if it meant keeping me safe. Maybe I'd taken that for granted. Maybe I'd been too comfortable, knowing he'd always be there.
But now? Now there was no Roderick. No wall of muscle and stubborn determination to shield me. It was just me and the consequences of my own choices.
I glanced at Kael, still lying unconscious but breathing beside me. His chest rose and fell steadily, a small comfort in the chaos. I wasn't completely alone. But even he couldn't shield me the way Roderick had.
And I couldn't afford to rely on anyone else. Not anymore.
My grip on my staff tightened as I straightened, forcing my body to comply despite the pain. This was my fight, my burden. The demons weren't after anyone else—they wanted me.
This was the third one to show its face, and it wouldn't be the last. That much was clear. Each encounter was worse than the last, and I'd barely scraped through this one.
That creature's grotesque form flashed in my mind, its bulging, twitching eye and the pulsating boils that had grown brighter with every attack. Then there was Lucian's cruel, calculating smile.
And finally, the name the creature had spat before the cave came crashing down: Astaroth.
Even just thinking the name made my stomach twist. The way it had spoken of him, with something bordering on reverence and terror, was enough to tell me everything I needed to know.
Astaroth wasn't just another demon. He was something else. Something beyond me.
I exhaled shakily, leaning on my staff for support. If I wanted to survive this, I'd have to adapt. There was no room for weakness, no room for hesitation. If the next demon was worse than this one—and gods help me, I knew it would be—I'd need to be ready.
The earth shook violently beneath me, a relentless tremor that threw me off balance. At first, I thought it was the aftermath of my spell, perhaps the cave's collapse triggering a chain reaction. But no—this was something else. Something far worse.
The ground groaned like a wounded beast, and the vibrations only grew stronger. Rocks around me quivered and cracked, and before I could steady myself, a thunderous explosion erupted from the pile of rubble that had once been the cave.
Debris flew in every direction, shards of stone slicing through the air like deadly projectiles. The shockwave tore through the clearing, and I stumbled, barely able to keep my footing.
Then I saw it. A massive boulder, hurtling straight toward me.
Time seemed to slow as it approached, its sheer size blotting out everything else. There was no time to conjure a shield, no time to run. My heart pounded in my chest, my staff slipping from my fingers as the enormity of the situation hit me.
This is it.
For a fleeting moment, my mind drifted. Not to the fight, or the demons, or even the mark behind my ear. Instead, it wandered back to where it all began.
I was eight, maybe nine, and Roderick had just turned seven. We'd stolen a loaf of bread from the market—our usual routine back then, scrappy and desperate as we were. He'd clutched it to his chest, laughing as he bolted through the alleyways, urging me to keep up.
"Come on, sis! You're too slow!"
I could still see his mischievous grin, the way his messy hair stuck to his forehead as he darted around a corner. I'd been so angry at him for being faster, for showing off. But when we finally stopped, panting and laughing, he'd torn the bread in half and handed me the bigger piece.
"Here," he'd said, his grin softening. "You're the big sister. You gotta stay strong for me."
A lump rose in my throat at the memory.
Guess I failed at that, didn't I, Roddy?
The boulder was almost upon me now, the roar of its path deafening. My body refused to move. My magic felt distant, like it was trapped behind a wall I couldn't break through.
Then, suddenly, a figure appeared in front of me.
The man raised his hand, and with a commanding motion, a shield spell materialized—massive, golden, and intricately layered with runes I'd never seen before. The boulder slammed into the shield with a deafening crash, the impact sending cracks through the ground but leaving us untouched.
The shockwave rippled past, but the shield held firm. Dust and debris swirled around us, and for a moment, everything was still. Keeping me and Kael alive.
I blinked, my heart pounding as I stared at the figure standing between me and death. Slowly, the dust began to settle, revealing him in stark detail.
He was shorter than I expected—stocky, broad, and built like a fortress, with the unyielding presence only a dwarf could carry. His armor was dark and battle-worn, crafted from heavy plates of enchanted steel that bore the scars of countless encounters. The edges of his pauldrons were chipped, and faint runes etched along his breastplate shimmered dimly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
His face was weathered, his features carved from stone, a thick auburn beard braided neatly and secured with bands of silver. The braid swung slightly as he turned his head, and his dark eyes—deep, calm, and unreadable—locked onto mine. There was no warmth there, no assurance, just the quiet, steady focus of someone who knew the stakes of life and death all too well.
In one hand, he held a lance taller than he was, the shaft reinforced with polished steel and tipped with a wicked point that gleamed even in the fading light. It rested against the ground with an air of quiet authority, a weapon that had seen its share of horrors and delivered its share of justice. At his back, a thick traveling cloak, frayed at the edges, hung heavily, marked by the wear of long, brutal journeys.
Then my gaze shifted, catching a detail I hadn't noticed before: just behind his ear, partially obscured by the edge of his beard, was a mark. The same mark I bore.
I exhaled sharply, my knees trembling from exhaustion and shock. There, standing between me and certain death, was someone I had only heard about in fleeting whispers.
Rowan Hale. The best monster-hunter in the world.
To be continued...