The Demon's Deal

Chapter Eight

Chapter eight

*

Seamus stepped inside the next chamber slowly and then made room for his friends. In the centre stood a thick, stone pillar, reaching from the tiled floor to the ceiling, and at the foot of that pillar sat a grotesque monster. He immediately reached up and drew his sword with deliberate care from its scabbard.

The creature stood upon four legs, each ending in sharp claws. Its skin was a thick, leathery hide and along the ridge of its spine were a series of sharp quills, which ran all the way down its long tail. The head, however, was its most gruesome feature. It was large and round, with a huge round maw that never completely closed. Inside the maw, Seamus spotted rows upon rows of long, sharp fangs. Underneath the monster's chin, its throat was a bulging pouch of swollen flesh, which eerily resembled the enlarged vocal sac of a frog when it croaked. Seamus had never seen anything like it in his life.

As the creature shifted, something underneath the swollen throat glistened in the torchlight. A thick metal chain looped around its neck and ran back to the pillar, where it connected to a sturdy metal ring, hammered deep inside the solid stone.

"It's chained up," Seamus said to the others, keeping his voice low so as not to startle the beast. He noticed a flame flicker to life to his right and saw Ashes holding a small ball of fire above the palm of his hand.

"Makes it easier to kill it," the wizard hissed between clenched teeth.

"No," Seamus replied. "Let's not startle it."

The creature was now staring intently at each of them with its blood red eyes, a crescent black pupil in the middle. When the monstrous eyes fell on Seamus, it opened its maw widely, and roared.

Seamus' sword clanged to the tiled floor as he dropped it to clasp his hands over his ears when the screeching sound resounded throughout the room. His heart pounded madly in his chest and panicked sweat broke out all over his body. His body shook with pure horror, and he could not even bear to look at the creature.

He backed away slowly until he touched the wall behind him, trying to focus, to shake off the terror that was controlling him. He had never felt more afraid of something than he did now. Seamus barely noticed the movement and shouts around him. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to glance upward.

Rux stood a little further, his back against the wall as well, crossbow dropped at his feet. The ranger was shivering and sweating, his eyes wide with terror. Seamus saw flashes of light from the corner of his eyes and heard the creature roar again, which made him flinch and whimper. The shouts of his other friends resounded over with the roars of the creature, and Seamus forced himself to look up again.

The metal chain holding the creature strained and creaked as Exadus banged his warhammer on his shield, taunting the creature to draw its attention to him. The monster lunged at him, which gave Ivy and Ashes an opening. The wizard shot a ball of fire square in the monster's flank, while Ivy hit its spiked back with a glowing, green dart of spiritual energy.

The monster howled again, and Seamus quickly looked away, fear once again overtaking him. He whimpered as he sank to the ground while a small part of his mind yelled at him. Yet through it all, something about the howl was familiar. Like it called out to him, despite the sheer terror it induced.

Get up, he thought. Get up and help them, you fucking coward. He put his hands over his face and shook his head repeatedly, shaking on the floor, lost in a spiral of pure dread.

Seamus was vaguely aware of the sounds of his friends fighting as he kept shivering on the cold floor. The small voice in the back of his head kept trying to get him back up, but he could not bring himself to listen.

A blinding flash of light suddenly pierced through the cracks of his fingers over his face. He heard the distinct sound of solid metal connecting with flesh, followed by the hollow thud of a body hitting the floor. His mind immediately regained control of the fears that overwhelmed him, and his body stopped shaking.

"NO!" Exadus' voice pierced through the room. "No, no, no!"

Seamus forced his hands away from his face at the pure despair in his friend's voice, the fear of the creature replaced by fear for his friends. Another flash of light greeted him, though it felt different, more warm and soothing. More inviting. Slowly, Seamus opened his eyes.

Exadus was on his knees on the tiled floor, close to the pillar. Something was lying on the floor in front of to him, but the paladin was blocking the view. He had his right hand clutched around the amulet usually hanging around his neck, while the other hand pounded on the floor repeatedly. "No, no, no," he cried out with every punch. "Work, damn you! Work!"

Seamus stood up carefully and stepped closer. A sense of dread started to gnaw at the back of his mind, which magnified with each step he took. He noticed Rux standing back up and retrieving his crossbow, his black hair matted to his forehead with sweat.

Ivy stood a little further away. She stared at the floor in front of Exadus with wide eyes, brimming with tears. Then she looked at Seamus, her hand clasped over her mouth, and just shook her head, too shocked to speak.

Ashes leaned on his staff to the left of Exadus, his face dark as he looked in front of the kneeling paladin as well. "A deal with a demon...", he muttered darkly.

Exadus quickly got to his feet as Seamus approached and put his hands on his chest to stop him. Seamus' stomach sank at the guilt he saw on his friend's face. "Seamus...," the paladin said softly, his voice trembling. "I didn't know...I swear I didn't...I—"

Seamus gently pushed him aside. He had to see for himself. He needed to. He lowered his gaze to the floor to look down at the motionless body, and his world fell apart. Slowly, he sank to his knees on the floor beside his mother. Dark red blood matted the blonde hairs to her forehead and her eyes were open, staring up at the ceiling. He remembered those eyes. Always bright green and vibrant, yet now cold and lifeless. He put his head on her chest and listened for a heartbeat that was not there.

Then he broke down, and he wept.