Partially surrounded now, the shadowy ghoul that had attacked Galthia is hammered repeatedly by the combined blows and spells of Mara, Agar, and Nolin. It turns to flee, but is cut down before it can escape.
Nearby, Malachite drops back far enough for Velendo to
heal his many wounds. The towering demon carefully slithers forward, upper body dancing to a music that no one can hear as she stalks her prey. Galthia briefly strays within her reach, and she strikes instinctively. His blood sprays as she impales him with multiple scimitars, which pierce him horribly before she spins all six blades back upwards into a guarding position.
The demon’s forked tongue flicks out to lick one of her ensanguined scimitars, and she briefly shudders with pleasure.
The solar summoned by Tao soars into the combat, and the demon turns to meet her new foe. The cavern is now lit by the clashing radiance of the two outsiders, and the air rings with the sound of their blows. The demon tries to sunder the solar’s glowing sword, and the angel counters by swinging his weapon around in a magnificent arc that would have taken off the marilith’s head if her reflexes had been any slower. Black energy crackles out from the demon’s body onto the solar’s, and is burned away by his divine radiance before it can reach his heart. Then Velendo’s
dispel magic sears away her enchantments, and her speed noticeably slows as the black energy coating her dissipates. The tide of battle begins to turn.
Tao rejoins the battle at the angel’s side, as does Malachite and Mara. Their holy weapons carve huge rents in the demon’s scaly tail, and their armor is such that her scimitars have trouble hitting them in return. One opponent, even two, she could easily overpower… but four, along with spellcasters? For the first time, the demon begins to look worried as black blood coats her shimmering scales. Now partially healed, Galthia tumbles in to flank, and the solar begins to sing a hymn as his sword flashes left and right. Velendo, TomTom, Nolin and Agar attack from the flank, trying to pierce her spell resistance with their spells and prayers.
Enough is enough. Hissing defiance, the demon slithers backwards and prepares to
teleport to safety. The Defenders who flank her strike her as soon as her scimitars pause in their whirling defense… and the
teleport fails! It might be that her concentration is broken, or perhaps Mara’s holy mace
disrupts the spell, but the magic hisses and spits instead of carrying the demon to safety. Tao and Malachite advance with blades flashing, and the marilith screams as she feels the weapons slicing into her innards. She is eternal and immortal, the daughter of demonic royalty, the commander of countless demonspawn that march undefeated across the fetid battlefields of the Abyss… and then she is nothing but burning bones as the Defenders of Daybreak take her down. Her scimitars and skeleton clatter on the stone as her flesh ignites, and then she’s gone.
There is a pause as the Defenders look around. Dozens if not hundreds of ghoulish troops watch from the edges of the firelight, watching the solar and the battered heroes, reluctant to attack until the demon had destroyed the surface-dwellers. Tao’s divine aura of awe surges as she stares back at them. The solar flexes his wings, and triumphant music surges as Nolin strums his magical instrument
Veritas.
The ghouls’ morale breaks. Screaming in terror, they fight to clamber over each other as they sprint back into the darkness.
To be continued….
Thanks to David Hendee, aka Littlejohn! Go see his art thread in the EN Boards' Art Forum!