The massive sword sliced through the air at a speed that scarcely seemed possible to Saul’s eyes. One second the Darkforge commander had been thirty meters out, and the next he was halfway to cutting Saul’s head off.

Saul could see the path of the sword, and he knew he could dodge it if he moved right. In the milliseconds between when the sword was swung and when it would hit him, he twisted and leaned back, his left shoulder rising even as he moved his head and neck out of the way. The sword continued on its path uninterrupted.

A hot spray landed on Saul’s face as the sword cleaved flesh from his shoulder. ‘48!’ flashed before his eyes. He cursed at the burning pain that erupted in his world, but had the presence of mind to strike out with his own sword, slashing at the commander’s legs. Saul’s blade seemed like it was traveling in slow motion in comparison with the commander’s devilish speed.

He could see that Liza was swinging her sword with all of her might at the commander at the same time. Between the two of them, they were attacking high and low on the Darkforge commander at short range. There was little opportunity for him to block or evade.

The only problem was that the devil vanished just before they hit him.

He reappeared suddenly in his original position, watching them with an evil glint in his eyes. Jesus Christ, what’s up with that guy?! Panic threatened to overwhelm Saul as he looked across at the Darkforge commander. How am I supposed to fight that?! He looked down at his shoulder, and blanched at the sight. He could see bone clearly where muscle and skin should be. It seemed as though his arm still worked. He lifted his arm and hissed as his shoulder screamed in protest.

Saul looked towards Edwin out of the corner of his eyes, never taking his gaze off of the Darkforged Demon. “Got anything that can help slow him down? Can you guys figure something out? I’ll try to stall while you plan” He tried to play it cool to keep morale high, but his body trembled with fear. He was hopeful that his allies could figure something out. There’s no way I can stall that thing… He’s a monster! He’s going to kill us all! Saul’s lizard brain practically shouted. If he’s so powerful, though… There’s no getting away from him. I have to fight. That thought seemed to help calm him.

He was so busy focusing on the commander that he almost didn’t notice the two remaining Darkforge Elites coming towards him, their movements buoyed by the confidence that their commander would help them.

The commander didn’t seem like he was the type to intervene again. Saul could see the dwarf grinning as he watched the elites move forward, hints of bloodlust evident in his eyes as he watched and waited for battle to resume. There were just two of them left. Saul and Basi could handle that, right?

The two of them surged forward to attack, one going for Saul while the other went for Basi. Saul had gotten plenty of practice dodging, but with his ruined shoulder he was especially focused on evading rather than trying to parry. His hand holding his dagger still worked, but he didn’t feel the same strength in the arm that he was used to, and it caused excruciating pain as he tried to attack with the weapon.

He ducked below an attack that was a little high and lunged forward, stabbing at the Elite with his sword. He scored a shallow hit on the dwarf’s belly, his sword piercing slightly through his armor. Seizing that momentum, he pressed forward, closing the gap between them and raising his dagger to slash at the Elite’s neck. It was a shallow blow, but it was sufficient to open up his jugular.

The elite’s health bar began to tick away rapidly, and he raised his hands to his neck in a concerned fashion. Saul stepped forward and did the only thing he could to help - He ended the dwarf’s misery, the lights going out in his right eye when Saul’s dagger slid through the left.

Basi had his opponent on the ground, his fierce teeth snapping at his face. Saul stepped up to the dwarf and sent his sword through the dwarf’s head, I’m sorry… Before his eyes:

Exp gained!

He ignored the text, focused as he was on the only remaining opponent: the commander, the dwarf Saul was coming to refer to in his head as the Devil of the Deeps. What kind of monster can just stand there while his subordinates are killed? Seriously, what’s wrong with this guy?! On the surface, Saul looked calm and ready. Saul turned his head back ever so slightly, looking to his companions to see how things were coming in the planning department. Based on their frustrated expressions things didn’t seem to be going very well.

He drew in a deep breath and focused on the energy within his body. He felt the store of energy in his dantian, strong and calm. He reached out to that energy and guided it to his legs and arms, strength immediately flooding his limbs. He tried to focus especially on his injured shoulder, reinforcing it with the energy within. I need to keep him at bay for us to have a chance…

Leaning forward, Saul dashed at the Darkforge commander at a speed far greater than anything he’d imagined before. He slid to a stop next to the commander, spinning and swinging his sword with all of his might at his foe.

His blade was moving almost too fast for him to see, but the commander didn’t seem phased. He lifted his own blade casually and knocked Saul’s weapon aside, then he followed that action by backhanding Saul.

One moment he was swinging his weapon at the Darkforge commander, the next moment he was flying across the room and slamming into the wall. His body shook from the impact. His lungs were emptied by the force of the impact, blood mixed with the spit that emerged as he coughed, trying to get his breath back. His vision flashed red, the number large enough to cause concern. Did anyone get the license plate on that truck…? He wondered, half dazed and half to distract himself from his growing fear that they wouldn’t be able to defeat the commander. His health bar dropped even lower, showing he had about a third of his health left.

It was at that moment that his allies sprang into action. Reric gave him some much needed attention, the healing spell so potent that the missing skin from his shoulder seemed to appear out of nowhere. Edwin seemed to be weaving his hands in an effort to cast some sort of spell. Liza was rushing towards the Devil. Even Basi was getting in on the effort, the lizard slinking towards the dwarf as fast as possible. Saul felt paralyzed as he watched his companions fighting on, What could they do?

Suddenly, the Darkforge commander seemed to sink into the stone beneath him. Edwin clapped his hands together firmly, ice shooting from his fingertips towards the commander at the same time.

As Liza arrived in front of the commander, she used her sword to great effect. Her blade slammed into the Darkforge demon’s guard, the strength behind her blow enough to push him back just a little. What’s the point? Saul wondered, his mind hazy with fear.

Edwin’s spells began to land on the commander, ice forming on his form that seemed to slow him a bit. Basi finally reached the commander and the lizard leapt, his jaws open and those wickedly sharp teeth bared to grab the commander’s free arm.

I… I have to do something. He couldn’t just sit there. If they were all going to die, they were all going to die. If we’re going down, then sugar we’re going down swinging… He thought, the memory of a song from his high school years helping to snap him free of his trance. He stood and prepared to move forward. He focused his energy once more, imbuing his limbs specifically with all they could handle, and he took off running at the commander.

Reric seemed to be mumbling another spell, and suddenly Saul felt twice as fast, as if blessed by the speed of the gods. Who knows if this is a spell of lightness or a spell of quick movement, but whatever it is… I’m going to take advantage of it! Even this monster shouldn’t be able to avoid this attack… Pouring more and more energy from his dantian into his legs, he surged forward at a speed that was as fast as lightning in his opinion. He was moving too fast to control any strikes so he kept his sword out in front, looking to impale the Devil of the Deeps in one motion.

Liza's second attack was parried away. The commander delivered a simple pommel strike to the armored woman and crushed her breastplate inward. Saul watched as if everyone was moving in slow motion. Basi was shrugged off easily by the commander but the lizard served as a valuable distraction to allow Saul to close the distance. By the time the Darkforge commander brought his weapon to bear to try and block the stabbing strike, Saul's weapon was already sinking into his side like a hot knife through butter.

The sound that accompanied the strike was like the thunderclap that followed a lightning strike. Saul willed his dagger to vanish at that point. Gritting his teeth and grasping the hilt of the sword with both hands, Saul dug into the ground with his feet and pivoted, yanking his sword to the side to cut free of the Darkforge commander's body, tearing a chunk of his side away in a bloody spray as he did so. Fearing a counterattack, Saul leaped back immediately, just in time to avoid that monstrous sword cutting through the space he'd just occupied.

Blood poured from the Devil's side as a massive red '250!' flashed overhead, followed by 'Status! Bleeding', which seemed to prompt a series of small numbers, '5!' '4!' and so on every second or so. Saul wasn't sure how much health the commander had, but that would surely help to slow him down. Edwin must have sent more ice shards forward as some slammed home just a second later, doing some damage '20!' The Darkforge commander’s health bar appeared overhead, indicating he was at around half health.

"Attack!" Saul yelled at that moment. Between the ice magic and the strange spell that made the ground like liquid, the Darkforge commander wasn’t going anywhere. Willing his dagger to appear in his hand again and flinging it towards the enemy, Saul closed to melee range once more and began to slash at the dwarf with his sword. Liza appeared next to him with her sword in hand, her breastplate discarded and her strikes coming from out of the dwarf's range. The commander’s movements were slowed substantially due to the damage he’d taken and the ice magic’s effects, and Saul managed to stay a step ahead of him.

Edwin was casting a continuous stream of spells that soared between the two of them and found their way home. Even Reric was getting in on the attack, casting a spell that resulted in a bolt of divine energy slamming into the commander. Between their combined efforts, the commander's tremendous health eventually wore down, that substantial health bar of his finally ticking down to 0. He had introduced himself with a bang, but he died with a whispered curse on their names.

Exp gained: 5,000! Your share: 1,250.

That's a lot of experience! Saul thought when he saw the number. In front of his eyes, the display flashed

You are now level 7!

+3 to Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance! +2 to Intelligence and Willpower!

You are now level 8!

+3 to Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance! +2 to Intelligence and Willpower!

Saul stumbled away from the Darkforge commander’s corpse, finding a wall to lean on. He began to retch, and a foul stench arose from that corner as splashes could be heard. So much death… I was almost one of those corpses…

As his heaves subsided, he wiped any evidence of his sickness away from his mouth and looked up to check on his allies. Liza, Edwin, and Reric were fine… Basi?! Where’s Bas… Saul reached out and felt his presence through their bond, though Basi had been knocked unconscious by the Darkforge commander's last attack.

Several items dropped from the devilish dwarf's corpse. One of them was a long sword that seemed designed for evil purposes. The weapon was wickedly sharp, with a skull for a pommel and a few small barbs and serrations on the blade itself. He offered the weapon to Liza, who shook her head, indicating her weapon, “Too small for me.” Saul spared a look at Edwin and Reric, though neither of them showed any interest. He reached forward and claimed the blade.

When his fingers grasped the hilt, he felt a powerful aura emanating from the sword. There was a sense of strength in the weapon, a feeling that it would cut whatever he wanted it to. It seemed desperate to taste flesh, eager to inflict pain. It was a twisted sensation, sickening even. He ignored those urges coming from the sword, willing it and his other weapons to go back to his inventory.

They made their way over to where the miners huddled, checking on them to make sure everyone was safe. Liza spoke to the group of former prisoners, "We've let the town guard know about the invasion. Are you ok to make it back to town?" They nodded their assent and made their way out of the mine.

Saul looked around the cavern, looking for some sign as to why the Darkforge dwarves had come here in the first place. He wasn't able to see anything, but he kept a watchful eye out as his companions licked their wounds.

Now that the commotion had died down, he felt a pulse of energy in the cavern. It seemed to come from the tear in the wall nearest to where the commander had been standing. A wave of energy was emanating from the entrance to the Deeps.

"Does anyone else have the cultivation skill? I get a sense that it would be a good idea to cultivate just inside this entrance. Will you come with me?"

Liza and Edwin seemed eager. Reric sighed, "Most dwarves can't cultivate, but I'll come with you and watch your back while you do." The humans all voiced their appreciation.

With that, they took a step into the Deeps, determined to continue growing stronger.