200 feet down the tunnel, the team reached a branch with monsters waiting to their left. It was easy to spot the ambush because Eldri kept her arm pointed in the direction of the monsters. With every step they took, her arm rotated just a little more to the left.
Bradley stayed near that side of the tunnel so his shield was ready when a Wulf bounced out of the branch.
“LOOK AT ME!” The blond man screamed as he pushed back against the waist-high bulk.
The pudgy monster was a little more than three feet high at the shoulder, but it weighed over four hundred pounds. The bulk alone was enough to drive back the Tank, which only increased when it became deadweight once Penelope dropped a pair of
Ding!
Experience +2.5
A barrier of light blocked off the tunnel they had been walking down as a faint white glow covered the Tank at the same time as a purple one settled over him.
“POISONER!” Penelope moved her other two projectiles into the side tunnel as she pivoted to the Tank’s right.
Bradley coughed as a Chom launched into a double punch on his shield. The four-foot-tall blue-feathered birdman screeched as it grabbed onto the sides of the shield and pulled.
Bradley was yanked forward but held onto his shield, despite the wet cough that wouldn’t stop. A green glow mixed with the white and purple, but the three swirled and pulsed over the struggling man, like they were all fighting for superiority.
The large, flea-looking Demon jumped onto the ceiling, then launched itself at the group. With only two projectiles down the side tunnel, Penelope had no way to protect the Healer without canceling her spell to recast a new set.
A pair of arrows plunged into the monster’s eyes, dropping it at Caleb’s feet.
Ding!
Experience +2.5
Penelope nodded at the younger woman and moved into the side tunnel. The Chom let go of the shield and tried to swipe at her, but the moment it raised its arm, Bradley bashed into its side with his shield. He stepped back, moving behind Penelope so Circe could shoot the prone Demon.
Ding!
Experience +2.5
Two more. Penelope fanned her
The farther out projectile shattered, leaving only the one forty feet down the hall.
Bradley coughed again but moved in front of her, standing in the middle of the tunnel as they inched forward.
Penelope glanced over at Eldri, and the older woman sliced her hand down the tunnel.
We’re still moving in the right direction. Penelope focused her words on Jeru. Did you see anything?
“As much as you did.” He pointed to the left. “Check that. You didn’t see the door a few feet up there before the ball got destroyed.” He looked at the Buffer. “But it looked like the Demons are in the hall.”
Eldri was still pointing straight ahead, but something didn’t sit right with Penelope.
“Hold up.” She whispered as the light from her final projectile revealed the door on their left. “Door.”
“The monsters are that way.” Eldri stretched her arm forward, pointing down the hall.
“Use your barrier to seal off the door.” Penelope sent the projectile into the room. Once the barrier was in place, she moved in front of it so she could see.
“Why are you looking for an ambush?” Jeru sighed. “The Lesser Demons won’t be able to hold themselves back without constant orders, and we’re too close to the surface for there to be a telepathic connection that isn’t line of sight.”
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Because it isn’t just one Shadow Demon that I’m worried about. Penelope canceled the projectile and recast a new four.
As soon as she did, Eldri took down the barrier.
“Put it back!” Penelope moved out of the doorway, grabbing Circe’s arm to drag the younger woman back with her.
“I thought you cleared the room.” Eldri recast the barrier, then waited for the leader to explain.
“We can’t clear the room without going in it.” Penelope walked back in front of the doorway. “My projectiles can go a hundred feet, but I never saw the back wall.” She motioned to her left, in the direction of the tunnel they’d walked up. “There isn’t a door to the north or the east, which means this room could go all the way to the clearing. That’s a lot of space for something to hide.”
“Are we going to go in and make sure there’s nothing in there?” Circe glanced at Penelope. “Eldri is still feeling the monsters in that direction.” She pointed down the tunnel.
Penelope thought for a moment, then sighed. “No. We can’t afford to waste time, but keep the barrier up here as long as you can. I don’t want something sneaking up on us from behind.”
“Okay…” Eldri shrugged.
30 feet farther down the hallway was another doorway, this time on their right.
“You want me to barrier this one instead?” Eldri pointed at the barrier behind them. “Or keep that one there?”
Penelope moved two of her projectiles into the room. This one was much smaller, 60 feet wide by 100 feet long. The length traveled parallel to them, but it wasn’t difficult for the pair of balls to float down the length of the room to confirm that there wasn’t anything in there.
There was a door to her left and another one across from her halfway down the length. Penelope looked back at Eldri, who sliced two fingers down the hall.
“Caleb, watch the room, Circe, with me.” Penelope put a
“What are you doing?’ Bradley hissed. He glanced behind them as he positioned his shield in the middle of the tunnel. “We’re really exposed here!”
“Exactly.” Penelope noticed another door on her right but kept moving the light forward until it reached the outer wall. Once there, the light revealed a hairy Wigon fleeing the light on the ceiling. “Circe.”
The archer stepped forward and fired a volley of shots. The insect demon hopped down and charged them, but it was almost a hundred feet away. After the first arrow connected, it slowed down, which made it easier for the others to land.
Ding!
Experience +2.5
The moment the Wigon went down, Edri spun around, pointing down the hallway they’d just walked up, then she pointed to her right, into the room her barrier was sealing off, then she pointed to Penelope’s right, towards the unexplored room at the end of the hall.
“They’re all over!” Edlri looked at Penelope. “What do we do?”
“Barrier that door and get behind me.” Penelope pointed at the room down the hall. “Bradley, turn around. Caleb, get behind me too.” She set her feet as she called her projectiles back to her.
A massive hammer smashed into the barrier a moment after it went up. Circe screamed and launched a pair of arrows at it, creating another set of splinters in the barrier.
“That’s not going to hold for long!” Eldri warned.
Penelope swallowed. At least I know what the leaders are. She tried to ignore the scratching of claws on the stone floor as the lesser Demons ran up the tunnel towards them.
“That Poisoner is going to be difficult to put down.” Jeru motioned at the cracking barrier. “But you might want to drop this thing first.”
“I’m going to try something, but it’s going to get dark!” Penelope pointed her wand at the Warrior, then canceled her
Rotating the twin columns took effort, but the spiraling blast of air sent the Shadow Warrior flying away from the doorway. The barrier shattered under the impact, blowing by them with less force, but they still needed to brace against it as the wind tugged at their clothes.
With the barrier gone, they were fully in the dark.
“Light Beam!” Penelope didn’t move her wand, sending a beam of light where she’d blown the Demon.
The Shadow Warrior was sitting against the wall on the far side of the room. It rolled out of the way of the beam, but the light moved faster than the Demon could roll. A volley of shadow-wrapped arrows sank into its side as Circe walked into the room behind her.
“Help them!” Penelope waved at Circe. “I’ve got this!”
“There’s too many out there!” Caleb squeezed by them, with Eldri sealing off the side door that led into the room Penelope had cleared earlier.
“Wait!” Penelope focused her beam on the chest of the Demon. The tip of the beam splayed off the head of the warhammer, sending rays around the room as the Demon blocked the attack.
The good news was the 50-foot by 50-foot room didn’t have any other monsters in it. The bad news was that there was another doorway in the opposite corner across from them.
Penelope canceled the beam, dropping most of the room into darkness.
“Light Torrent!” The four balls of light lit up part of the room, but that light vanished as Penelope guided all four projectiles into the monster. Two of them were swatted down by the Shadow Warrior’s weapon, but the other two connected with its bare chest.
She recast the spell, this time getting three through the weakened monster’s defense.
Ding!
Experience +6
“I need help over here!” Bradley screamed while a Wulf slammed into the barrier to his left.
Penelope pushed the fog out of her mind as she recast her spell, then downed one of the Tier One Mana Potions.
“Alright.” She dropped the empty bottle into her silver pocket. “Let’s finish this.”
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