Deep In the Mines - Part I

The giant red frog faced the party, eying them hungrily. It stepped closer to them, its claws raking the dirt beneath it.

Calum had his sword in hand, and his companions had also equipped themselves with their weapons.

“I read about this demon before. Watch out for its tongue,” Tilaya warned. “That’s its most powerful weapon.”

“How bad can a tongue be?” Erik gave a hearty laugh and charged the demon.

It stared at him and opened its mouth. Its tongue launched at him and made direct contact, sending him flying into the wall.

Erik grunted as he stood. “Yeah, watch out for tongue. Got it.”

“Can you tell us more about the demon before we make any more stupid decisions?” Kia asked.

“Yes. It’s called a borum. A class B demon.”

“B?” Calum stared at Tilaya in disbelief. “What’s a class B demon doing in a place like this?” He clenched his fists. There are seven classes of demons – F, E, D, C, B, A, and S. Each class is exponentially stronger than the previous. Class B demons are immensely difficult for even archmages to handle alone.

“Its claws carry a very lethal venom. A full-grown adult will be dead within two to three minutes of being exposed to it.”

"Seriously? Two minutes? Who decided this thing should exist?" Erik got up and brushed the dirt and rocks off of his armor.

"Enough talking, this thing's coming at us!" Kia's shout brought everyone's attention to the borum.

It moved forward with an open mouth. Its tongue was ready to lash out at any second.

Calum and Kia flanked the demon. A little ways behind them, Erik charged again. Tilaya stayed back and focused on her support magic–the only advanced magic she could use without her staff as a conduit.

Calum's sword began to glow due to Tilaya's enchantment. He had almost reached the demon when its tongue slammed into him, sending him crashing into a wall.

With the frog distracted by Calum, Kia was able to get close enough to leave a gash in the creature's leg.

Erik's greatsword pierced through the borum's thick skin. Black ichor sprayed from the wound. He pulled on the blade to take it out of the monster, but it wouldn't budge. No matter how much he pulled, the weapon did not loosen. "My weapon's stuck!"

A shadow crossed over his head. He looked up to see the borum's tongue swinging down on him. Just before it landed on him, he tumbled to the side, barely dodging the attack. "I thought frogs just stuck their tongues out! Why is this one using it like a whip?"

Kia slashed the back of the monster. “It may be frog-like, but it’s still a demon!”

Calum recovered from the attack. A slight pain remained in his head, but he ignored it. Grabbing his sword from the ground, he held it high in the air and started chanting. "By the grace of the Goddess, let judgment rain on this creature." The tip of the blade pointed at the borum. "Divine Smite!"

A bright flash of light filled the room as a bolt of energy crashed down on the demon. Its body shuddered from the bolt.

The light cleared, and the demon was laying on the ground. “Yes! I got it!” The arm that held the sword dropped to a resting position, bringing the sword down with it.

One of the demon’s legs moved, then another. It pushed itself back up to its feet and turned on Calum.

Instead of the smile he wore earlier, Calum’s jaw dropped in fearful disbelief. “Divine Smite wasn’t enough to kill it?” He dropped to his knees. “How are we going to defeat the Demon Lord…?”

“Calum, run!” Tilaya directed.

The ground shook. Looking up, he saw the demon charging him. Kia and Erik chased it, but it was faster than they were. Calum jumped to his feet and took a deep breath. There was no point in getting chased around until he ran out of energy. He gripped his sword and ran at the foe.

Its tongue shot at him and carried him into its mouth. Tilaya gasped, hands covering her mouth. Kia and Erik froze.

“Calum…” Tears came to Tilaya’s eyes. “Calum!”

A determined look crossed Kia’s face. She raced to the demon and launched herself off the ground. Holding the daggers pointed down, she landed on its back. The daggers cut into the skin and slid with her all the way to its back. Kia dropped off of the demon, flicking the black ichor from her weapons.

A roar shook the cavern and the demon turned around. It leaped into the air and came crashing down–right on top of Kia. The air was knocked from her lungs as she was caught under its foot. To either side of her head were the claws that carried the deadly venom. She struggled under the massive foot, feeling her bones being crushed.

Under all the weight caused immense pain that caused her to scream. The moment she screamed; the demon’s foot began to wither. It stepped back, confused and in pain.

Kia sat up, gasping. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Erik attempting to fight the demon. The pain abruptly ceased, and Kia noticed Tilaya casting a healing spell. She dipped her head in gratitude and picked up the daggers that she dropped when she was crushed.

“I’ll get Calum back.” Once more, she assailed the borum. She sliced its underside as she ran past. The borum’s attention changed from Erik to Kia in a fit of rage. When the tongue lashed out at her, she rolled to the side and stabbed the unreasonably long muscle with her daggers.

The creature roared again, whipping its tongue around with Kia attached. Kia struggled to hold onto her daggers, the only things keeping her from falling from a dangerous height. The tongue crashed into the walls several times, attempting to shake her off.

Below, Erik relentlessly attacked the demon with an enchanted weapon, thanks to Tilaya.

Kia’s grasp of her daggers slipped. Now, with only one hand holding on, she clenched her teeth and held on with all her strength.

Her fingers slowly slipped, unable to endure the unceasing flings. No longer to hold on, Kia’s hand slipped off completely.