7

O(I)O(I)

In the shadowy ceiling loomed two of the albino feral beasts of obfuscated history were about to drain a special kind of mist alchemized in their prisoners' body when their eyes were burning from the bioluminescent white glowering below them.

One of them tried to ignore the light and move on with the devouring process only for the light to keep burning his eyes like a hot poker around his eyelids. Eventually, they dropped down and scurried on their fours to face the vexation head-on. Soon they came upon two humans smaller and slender then the ones they had as their prisoners.

The first one leaped off and released it's wrath in sharp fangs with a glint of his/her gums near the top where it's dentin met its gingiva. But in an instant its arms and legs were sliced by a serrated weapon and red miasma squirted out.

The beast backpedaled to its comrade.

"I may have small stature but I swing a big stick." Baragon gloated.

"That's great; don't be a supercilious dwarf." Savatia said in a pensive tone.

The unscathed beast stared unduly interested in the miasma coming out. With its own claws it scratched long marks into its skin letting the miasma inside come out.

Baragon watched horrified as both creatures swallowed a hole with their mouths on the opposite members wound. This disgusting image was really a way their bodies were absorbing what entailed from miasma; quick healing and their bodies getting heavier with the strength growing inside.

"Well their not playing fair." Baragon murmured to Savatia.

He gripped his handle and used the power of the rune embedded but unnoticeable until activated to use a weapon enhancement:

"Fire Forge of the Great King: Fire Flurry!"

His axe kindled into a molten piece of burning orange metal just like before only the axe moved upright making his axe look more like a halberd. He danced, heat moving with his blade leaving a trail of burning strings as he moved. Even if they got past him...they wouldn't be able to touch Savatia.

His speed was underwhelming to the feral beasts. With each swing they were two steps-hobbled back by their knees-away from his burning blade. He kept swinging nevertheless believing he was backing them into a corner, Savatia slowly losing sight of them.

And then-they lurched on their four legs and used their adhesive palms to stick to the walls. Baragon relentlessly swung left to right using his halberd like a tool used to smack insects.

"I always knew you cave dwellers were such cowards!" He roared. "Leap down and face me like real men!"

The creatures scurried with their claws until they were behind Baragon and facing the timid looking lady. She dwindled the white light to the size of her knuckles proximal joint.

They slowly inhaled and exhaled while halting their movements, a willow of mist puffing out. They were trying to instill fear into the helpless ladies heart thinking it would make her taste better because of it. With Baragon exclaiming how he would dissect them behind them, they had a clear path to the lady while she quivered and her magic was small. At last, they charged.

"D-Don't come any closer..." They felt it would be wiser to plow into her on their two legs so halfway through the path they were back on their feet(s) and outstretched their spindly arms in bloodthirsty fashion. Just when Savatia could smell their pungent, frigid breath on her face...the small light enlarged to the size and shape of a knight's helm. "Should've taken what I said as a warning. Helm of Archangel!"

Two wings sprouted from both sides of the helm. This bizarre appearance was only the beginning as she, holding onto it, was launched forward like a convoy rolling down a hill through the gap in between the feral creatures, and then the wings and helm fluttered off the ground.

Both of the feral creature's were dumbfounded and a little het up by all of this. At last the woman midair addressed them.

"I may not be able to wear magic but I sure can ride it. You like to bite humans and drink out of them, now let's see how you like to drink this." She raised two fingers and clenched them so they looked like two arrows stacked on one another. From both her fingers came two bright white spheres the same size as the light she had when they thought she was trembling. "Light of the Mother who cleanses the land of the vile things not corralled under her divine light...let those who live with their pervasive filth be reborn! Beads of Archangel!"

Both creatures made a hissing sound as if to speak to her when two small balls of light were fired at them. Although miniscule their instincts told them to avoid being touched by the light so they sprawl back on their four legs and scattered on the walls like spiders making their way back to their nests. However, they were unaware of the tracing that came with the balls of light.

They flew right into the open mouths of the creatures that always like to bite and swallow because everything that wasn't their kin was food to them. The ball past through to their stomach without so much as a tingle in them. But once the balls passed the light erupted into rays slicing through their necks, guts, elbows, and even heads. Despite being monsters who lost their humanity they were in complete agony with each new ray that emerged-twelve in total before their bodies burned and disintegrated into dust.

And then-Savatia sauntered through the path barely lit by another luminescent ball of light she conquered that would tick Baragon off when he got a look of it. He, not noticing what she did, whisked his blade around until his inferiority complex died down and he just gave up swinging.

"That's right, you better run away! Your dealing with a dwarf!"

He turned around, saw Savatia unscathed and still looking completely timid. Being the proud man that he was, he offered her some assurance.

"Those creepy things prob'ly went back to their nest. If they feel that way in the face of danger...means we're getting closer to where their keeping their food supply...and your husband."

She feigned a smile. It was true she was happy they would get to see her beloved, but she feared the only sight of him would be his decomposing body as dozens of those ravenous, carnivorous cave dwellers needed to feed.

Baragon quickly argued white light should not be casted so he used a match to lit an incandescent light in his lantern. Once the lantern was lit, they trekked forward through the cave of pitch darkness. They walked for a flitting amount of distance before they were blinded by a sheen of red light illuminating in front of them.

They finally reached it; the nest. The nest was one large boulder, a laccolithic igneous rock with the peak crowded with people cocooned inside. Surprisingly their were no signs of the feral creatures-no smell, eyes, or even nail follicle of them anywhere. Without further ado, and to finish this arduous quest as soon as possible, Baragon removed a pickaxe and started to climb up the rock. While he was clambering using his tool, Savatia followed him clutching his right leg. Although she was skinny and lightweight only someone with as much sturdiness as a dwarf could move without worrying about the weight of another person latching on them.

When they reached the top, she stretched her arms.

"It feels good to move again."

"Feels good for you because you didn't have to move your arms." He grumbled. "Now hush. The only reason these things would leave their nest unprotected is their trying to trap us."

She immediately put her finger on her lips pronouncing her silence. Besides, she was here for her own reason. One by one she moved parallelly from cocoon to cocoon looking for her husband. She saw heads protruding from the silk leathery cocoons. Things looked like they were going to be okay, they arrived and could save these humans from a terrible fate...until she saw their faces. They were pale gray, their eyes were completely white with only a small black ring to separate the eyes from the white sclera, and his tongue was sticking out completely completely purple. Whatever happened it was horrible and gut wrenching. She tried to pull on the web to free the boy from his capture...the cocoon was hard to rip open as she found out using both hands just to try to tear off a little bit of silk.

"Hhee..." She heard a sound. It came from in front of her but she could hear a thud from Baragon trying to open a nest and dropping one of his tools in the process. "Hhel." She fixated her eyes back on the boys face; her body perspiring from the sweat of her own frailty of the horrors she might see. In shocking horror, she heard that sound again. "H-Help."

"Aahhhh!"

Savatia was so petrified by this horrific visage she lost control of her footing and stumbled back. Baragon, hearing the thud of her back hitting the ground, spun around, flinched. He saw Savatia mulling in shuddering horror what happened to the prisoners, how these cave dwellers did something taboo: sucking their victims dry and leaving them alive without eating them...a spider might leave just a husk but this was people still alive in agony.

Something finally started to stir. In the ceiling a silhouette of something big and bulky darted around in the shadows like a rabbit in a field...if the rabbit could move upside down. Baragon squeezed his axe ready for a fight with whatever lingered in the shadows.

"I'll kill ya...I'll kill ya all! Come down here and fight me like a man!"

Several giant hulks of things let go. They landed on their feet but their backs were slouched. They stood nearly twice as large as Baragon, but their posture was only half-upright. When they finally stood up, finally showed him what look like when their not in the shadows, Baragon's dread of his situation skyrocketed. Their shoulders and elbows now had an array of blade-like protrusions, they had three eyes on both sides, sheen of stronger muscles for skin, six fangs in their mouth each one jagged and dripping drops of blood.

Baragon looked at despair, terror, and death in the eyes...it stared back at him. While it nearly croaked in satisfaction he gulped.

'This can't be real...this must be a nightmare.'