Demons of the Dark Online Part 1

by Derrick R Williams

  They trudged on for what seemed like hours in the darkness as they finally came upon a room.

  Glowing green orbs floated eerily in the room as stalactites grew from the roof-like roots of ancient trees. There was water, but it wasn't what she expected, just a pond with the dark-purple lily pads.

  Over on the right-hand side, was a building carved out of marble. Designs on the columns of weird-looking creatures such as a cat with long fangs and a rooster's comb and a body of a sea lizard dotted the walls.

  "You have any idea what these creatures are?" She looked at her demon who was also inspecting the designs.

  He shook his head, looking more puzzled than she felt.

  A loud, rumbling growl suddenly shook the room. A creature appeared, glaring at them. She estimated the size of the creature was 4 feet high and it had long fangs and sharp claws.

  "Who are you? Why are you here? Why did you disturb me?" It asked, its voice deep and booming.

  "You speak?" Jinx asked at the same time her demon did.

  "Yes. I know Common and Shadow Elf." He huffed.

  "My name is Jinx and this is Azhar." She said, pointing her thumb at her demon.

  "Mine's Prawnis." He said as he folded his small, but muscular, arms across his chest.

  "I'm glad to meet you. I'm exploring the depths."

  "What for?" He asked.

  "Curiosity." That wasn't the complete truth, but close enough. She didn't know much about him and she was curious about his culture and the traditions of his people if he had any.

  He cocked an eyebrow at her and grinned.

  "If you seek knowledge, then I can help you. I need your help for a quest to attain this pearl."

  "I could do that." She said. "What would you have me do?"

  "Quest one is gathering the small glowing fish. Quest two is finding an orange-veined seaweed. And the other is going through the portal. Then you will look around in a watery world for a pearl. The pearl will glow with many colors swirling in it. Bring it and I will give you some of that seaweed you can eat to breathe underwater and a statue of a Tagon."

  "What is a Tagon?"

  "It is my species."

  Jinx brought up her HUD and located the quests which were behind her. If she'd have known those fish were on a quest, she'd have picked them up sooner.

  "I'll return." She strode from the room, her cape rustling behind her.

  She made her way down the tunnel and out into the small, swamp-like room where her minions stood waiting for her to return.

  The shock in the goblins' faces was worth it. They stared at her when she appeared as if she had just returned from death to the world of the living.

  "How did you defeat the monster?" One asked, breaking through their amazed silence.

  Jinx just gave them a mysterious smile, not wanting to give away her experience with the Tagon. The way the monster looked would frighten anyone who was smaller than him. If she was inclined to be fearful, she would've raced down the long corridor screaming her lungs out.

  Walking past them without a word, she searched for and gathered the glowing fish. As she gathered the fish, she noticed under the water, slim stems of the seaweed with glowing veins in them. She pulled them from the shallow water and inspected them.

  Soon enough, she had all the fish and seaweed. Bringing up her HUD, she brought up her map with the flick of the finger and saw that the portal was in the next few rooms over.

  She returned to Prawnis and handed him the glowing fish and the seaweed. He gave her the seaweed, which would help her breathe underwater in the new world she would enter.

  Jinx went to explore the other rooms. What world would this portal take her to? She was eager to find out and learn more about this strange new land.

  She snapped her fingers and motioned for the goblins to follow, which they hurried to obey. They splashed through the water as they followed her down the hall.

  Jinx walked behind her demon as he led the way, ready to fight anything that opposed them.

  What did he need these for? The mushrooms didn't seem like much and she assumed that they were poisonous. What would they be used for? What properties did they have? Maybe an alchemist could tell her.

  What about the goblins? What would they be used for? Were they a sacrifice to some evil God? Or would they be used as slaves?

  Jinx knew it had to be a double cross. This was far too easy, He wasn't to be trusted.

  She assumed that it was to get her out of the way as he healed her friend and forced her to do his bidding.

  "Azhar, go check up on Valdara." Jinx said.

  He nodded and vanished.

  The goblins gasped and whispered among themselves. She smiled and kept walking down the long corridors as the roots from the trees above them made weird designs on the walls.

  "Did you hear that?" A goblin whispered in a shaking voice.

  "Yes." His companion said in hushed tones.

  Jinx halted, listening with her keen, Elven hearing. Far down the hall, she heard a faint cackle of a strange beast or beasts. She continued on her way, wondering what the strange animals were.

  Without Azhar, she'd have to be more careful and cautious with her movements. Without her demon to distract them, could she handle these monsters?

  She cautiously moved down the hallway to the other room. They growled and snarled amongst themselves, fighting over something.

  The goblins held back as they cowered behind her. They whimpered like a dog about to be beat by an irate owner.

  Jinx moved as silently as she could toward the door that led to the sounds. Taking a deep breath before she peered into the darkened room, she steeled herself for what she might find. The moment she cracked open the door, her orb shown its light around, startling the hyena men.

  To her, they looked like ugly dog humans. There were four of them and she felt a trickle of fear race through her.

  One turned it's head as if he could hear her pounding heart, beating against her ribcage like drums. Others looked to where their pack member was staring.

  They saw her and growled, their sharp teeth gleaming. All at once, the pack lunged toward her with open, slavering jaws and a wild spark of hunger beaming in their feral eyes.

  What was taking Azhar so long?

  Chapter 13 ***

  Jinx threw her caltrops at them as they charged her. Their screams were music to her ears as she began casting her spells on one. She wished she had more to throw at them.

  They slammed into her, knocking her over onto the hard ground. They bit her with their sharp fangs as their claws ripped into her flesh.

  She glanced around and saw a rock just within reach. With a snarl on her lips, she grabbed it and slammed it into the hyena man.

  His yowl vibrated through the cavern.

  She heard a familiar roar which made her heart soar. Hyena men went flying and landed with a thud several feet away. Azhar's snarling war cry startled them and they turned their attention on him.

  With a hearty laugh, he slammed his shield into one. He was knocked into his brother as the other charged at his shield, fighting it. He brought his mace down upon his head, cracking it like an egg.

  Jinx staggered to her feet, casting her spells. Her dots ate through their hp. She cast her spells as fast as she could as he kept their attention on him.

  She loved the way they bit the dust, crumpling before his mighty mace. He was a terror in dealing damage and she could tell by his eyes he loved every single second just as she did.

  She loved watching him in action as she cast her incantations on them. They had lost interest in her and she felt far more powerful with him at her side. How would she do this quest if it was Obsidian with her instead?

  It'd be a whole different way of attacking these creatures without Azhar. It was a glorious thing to see, but could she live without him? How loyal was he, just because he was bound to her, how loyal did that make him?

  Quit being paranoid, she chided herself. S
he needed to trust him. He felt more like a friend rather than a slave bound to her by only his secret name.

  The hyena men fell to his mighty wrath and the demon threw one into the wall, its bones cracking as it fell to the floor.

  Jinx looked around the room. Bones and rancid meat decorated the stone floor. It was disgusting to search their pockets for treasure. But it needed to be done.

  She found trinkets, some copper and silver pieces. It was then, when she was checking the last one, that she discovered the chest.

  Licking her lips, she saw it didn't have a lock. It creaked open, revealing an odd treasure. Scraps of dried leather, baubles and an opal gem which glittered under the light of her orb.

  Her fingers ached to touch the gem. She could feel the power which called to her like an incubus.

  Picking it up, the gem glowed and sparkled as if it had a life of its own. It intrigued her because there was tons of magic in it.

  She dropped it in her leather pouch, brushed her hands together and turned around. Her eyes caught something in the corner of room.

  She was drawn to it like iron to a lodestone. Jinx looked at the small, demonic statue with black eyes which glowed with power.

  There was an inscription written at the base of the idol. She interpreted most of the demonic words from it.

  She'd learned about him from her studies.

  Izcau.

  That demon's name was the one that devoured worlds and would come to the aid of people who called upon him. There was a price, she knew.

  This demon preyed upon the weak-minded to call him forth and expect rewards from him without a heavy price being extracted from them. It was they who paid a tremendous price that included loss of family, wealth, health and their soul.

  He'd give an illusion to the weak-minded fools he played with like a cat. He swiped all away, making his plaything suffer a thousand deaths before throwing a broken toy away.

  To her disgust, she wasn't strong enough to control this demon, nor did she want him in her life. He was one of the most cunning and evil demons she'd ever heard of.

  She wasn't sure if his name really was what was on the inscription of the idol, but she had no intention of calling forth his name.

  Jinx had allowed her greed to overrule her judgment and she wasn't about to repeat the mistake again.

  Jinx retraced her steps and continued her journey. She came to the portal and smiled. Now she'd get that pearl.

  Taking a bite of the seaweed and chewing it slowly, she nearly spat it out. It was so salty combined with sweet which caused her throat to close when she attempted to swallow it. Forcing it down, she felt a strange tingling rush through her as she gasped for breath.

  Air had become thick and she couldn't draw it into her lungs. She leaped through the portal and gasped.

  The underwater world was filled with unbelievable colors. The strange coral formations grew from the sandy bottom like jagged castles of pink, blue, gold and green.

  Plants danced with the underwater waves and they looked so strange and wondrous, she couldn't even describe them. She wanted to touch them, but didn't. Who knew what dangers lay here?

  Schools of silver fish glinted through the water as they moved as one. She marveled at how they accomplished that feat. Among the protective reef, there were so many fish she couldn't count them. They were all hues of the rainbow.

  An eel appeared from his burrow, looking at her evilly. His sharp fangs sent chills through her as he watched her pass. There were so many fish swimming around her as she stared at them and awe.

  One fish caught her attention. It was a striped fish with red and gold with highlights of blue flecked over its skin. It had spikes along its back, tail and fins. She looked at it inquiringly, but with a flick of its tail it swam away.

  She was amazed to see something that looked like a horse combined with a fish. It swam away from her as she approached. She wondered what type of creature would ever ride it if that was the appropriate term.

  She swam deeper into the trench and things grew darker. When she reached the bottom, she saw huge clams opening and closing their mouths.

  She noticed that on a hill was a large clam opening and closing its mouth and within it was a pearl. It was the pearl she was looking for.

  How in the world was she going to get it, though? The clam kept up its rhythmic motion of opening and closing its mouth. It was only open a split second and she knew she couldn't get it by reaching in and grabbing it.

  She looked around, wondering if there was something she couldn't use like a boulder or maybe she could throw sand in. Jinx didn't know what would happen, but she needed something to act as a brace for when the clam closed its mouth.

  She scanned the area for any large rocks that could keep the mouth from closing all the way. There were none and she sat back, thinking about what she should use, when she noticed little creatures only a foot in length.

  They grabbed little pebbles from the shifting sands and threw them into the clam's mouth. The clam reacted by sneezing out the pearl and the creatures grabbed it and carried it away.

  Her bubbly laugh rang out as she wondered why she hadn't thought of something so simple. She'd complete this quest in no time. Snatching up a handful of those shiny pebbles, she swam toward the large clam.

  She waited for just the right moment before throwing them into its gaping mouth. It snapped its jaws closed and took quick gasps before sneezing.

  Jinx hid behind a clump of seaweed as it sneezed. The pearl flew from its mouth and landed somewhere in the sand.

  It made a strange gurgling sound, then settled down. Jinx searched for her prize. She wanted to find it and get out of here.

  From the murky depths, emerged the biggest fish she'd ever seen. It looked like a whale in size, but it was a blue, red and gold fish which looked like a gigantic gold piece with large eyes.

  It shoveled piles of sand in its mouth and swallowed them. The problem was, the large fish was heading toward her pearl!

  She swam toward it and grabbed the quest item and she felt the pull of the fish dragging her to to its maw.

  Fear gripped her and all she could think of was swimming away. She found she was in battle with it not to be swallowed.

  Struggling against the force of the monster's pull, Jinx vowed to win. Soon her muscles were screaming and she was consumed with fire.

  She knew she'd have to stop. There had to be a way to escape. How? In her panic she had to...wait, there may be a way yet. If it didn't work, she'd be dead, but death didn't matter here did it? She could always rez.

  She forced herself to stop struggling and brace herself. The force of the suction nearly drew her in. Her feet landed on his mouth and, to her surprise, he snapped his jaws closed.

  The large fish shook his head, tossing her aside like a rag. He continued sucking up the sand as if she were of no consequence to him. Just a little bump in the road that he could ignore.

  Jinx swam on with her prize. As she drew close to the portal, she wondered how much longer the seaweed would last in her system.

  "HUD."

  Her HUD appeared before her eyes and she looked at the timer for the seaweed. It had five more minutes, so she had a bit of time to explore around the portal.

  Jinx gazed over her HUD and saw her spells, caltrops and other items.

  Checking the time, it was almost time to return to the other side of the portal. Leaping into the portal, she gasped for air and inhaled oxygen into her lungs.

  Nothing was better than that, she was sure. She noticed that the goblins were staring at her with wonder in their eyes. Her demon grunted with a half smile on his face.

  She left the room and the others followed. She felt as if she could handle herself in battle, but she knew she needed him to be her meat shield. Mentally, she made a note to purchase him some armor and new weapons.

  Checking out her future spells, she saw that her major spell was Mind Blast. It dealt 10 hp per round for 3 rounds. I
t stunned the mob or person for two rounds. Jinx rubbed her hands together, thinking of all the havoc she could inflict on someone and with her pet chewing on them, it would be a great advantage.

  To her disappointment, the cool down was 5 rounds. She'd have to be careful and not use it for two-bit mobs.

  The lesser spell was Wind Chant. It had the power to distract a mob. It'd cause a noise behind the mob.

  It would come in handy.

  She looked through her spells, checking out any she'd use in the near future. Jinx was surprised to see that at level 10, she be able to call forth two demons at a time instead of one. What demon would she have at that level?

  "Computer." She spoke.

  "Yes."

  "What demon will I able to train at 10th level?"

  "You will be sent on a quest when you turn 10 to tame your personal hell-hound."

  Hmm...that was interesting. She'd never thought she'd own her own hell-hound. Jinx knew she'd have to look into the variety of hell-hounds before selecting one.

  The hell-hound would be good at working with her imp. That dog would distract the mob and she and Obsidian would burn it down.

  "What are the talent trees like?" Jinx had always been curious about them.

  "There's three you can choose from and for Founders, they have an additional one."

  Good. More power.

  "Show me the different trees of talents that we can choose from."

  "The Path of the Demon is where you master all the demons in the game. It boosts your knowledge on the lifestyle of the demons and what their functions are." The computer explained. Jinx nodded her head, motioning for the computer to go on.

  "Soul Stealing is the path you go down to drain more power and energy from your enemy. There are several tricks that you learn. It's how to break people, a good use for pvp and for keeping up your health as well as that of your demons."

  "Is that more of the psychic one? Where you can control your enemy through his or her mind?" Jinx asked, feeling excited about going down that path.

  "Yes."

  "What is the other one?"

  "It is the Path of Chaos."

  "What does that do?"

  "This path provides the warlock with the ability to fling rocks at an enemy, use lightning, fire and water to destroy a foe. By the time your foe gets to you, they will be half dead."