Death Comes for You

Darkness Falls

"Come out, you coward!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, my eyes shifting at a million miles per second as my voice echoes through fine vast, empty room.

The void surrounding me is too dark for me to pinpoint her location and all the while I struggle to even guess where she might be at she has been chuckling, obviously amused at my feeble attempts to stand my ground. If I wasn't seething with rage over the thought of what she has done to my son, I might have just grabbed the crystal and fled, but that isn't going to be good enough for me. I have a thirst for blood; her blood.

Conjuring my glowing familiar I shoot it out into the darkness in an attempt to lure her out and spot the demon huntress, but it was so thick even my helpers light gets swallowed by it. I grit my teeth in frustration and begin shooting more fireballs in random directions, briefly lighting up small flickers in the blackness as they collide with the wall or unseen objects, but no sign of the woman still taunting me with devilish laughter.

Then, out of nowhere a swooshing sound grows louder and in the very last second I manage to dodge aside and avoid a projectile that surely would have been my death. There is no doubt in my mind that she has the advantage and if I stay here much longer I will surely die by her hand. I need to think of something and I must do it fast. I cast a magical bubble around me that slows down everything except me. It's not exactly a great tactical advantage but it buys me a little time in case she attacks again.

With my blue eyes still watching every inch of the room, I begin to mentally explore all the details of my current predicament and anything I can do to turn the tides of this battle. There is a crazy Demon Hunter trying to kill me and use my son to ressurect her demonic master stuck in that strange crystal. I can't see anything beyond four feet away from me or the glowing object hovering above the pedestal and if I can't see her then I probably can't hit her with any of my spells, while she can obviously see me perfectly well and her aim is seemingly flawless. One hit from her special bolts or traps and I'm done for.

What I need to do is somehow distract her and get in a blow to finish this, while at the same time try to stay alive, but how would one distract her? 'Of course, the crystal!' I think a smug smile appearing on my lips as my gaze finds the evil rock. 'It's why she's here... Maybe if I can destroy it she'll make a mistake and I can wipe her out of existence. Yes, that's what I'll do.'

Somehow using her own master against her is the best option for me. It's a big gamble, since I don't even know if my magic can destroy that thing or even if I can get close enough to do anything to it, but if I can pull this off then my victory is ensured. Without hesitation I charge the most powerful spell I can muster, clouds of smoke and fire swirling around me and shoot it towards the ceiling, briefly disappearing just before a large cluster of small meteors comes crashing down. They strike the pedestal, tearing it apart with their sheer force before they explode on impact, leaving behind a massive cloud of dust that sparks with flames.

I cough as some of the debris particles invade my nostrils and tickle the back of my throat. Waving my hand through the air to clear my sight I find that the entire center where the stone once was has been reduced to rubble and a victorious grin spreads across my visage. Though as quickly as it comes it begins to fade into a frown as I realize that if I and destroyed the stone I shouldn't be able to see anything anymore, it was the only light source in the room next to my blazing hydra.

That's when I saw the truth. The dust settles on what's left of the path while the rest drifts off into the bottomless pit around me and there, in the middle of the destroyed area floats the thing I tried to pulverize with the demon huntress behind it. The demonic essence glows even brighter, giving her armor an eerie appearance and I can feel the smirk hidden by her helmet. The shadows dance around me, taunting my failure and start to creep closer. I furrow my brows and stare at the demonic rock which is spewing out the blackest smoke I have ever seen. it's so thick it seems to actually ooze like paste.