Obsidian Gold

The caverns below the two angels must have been the most confusing set of caves and that they had ever seen. It was going to be a challenge to find much of anything down there but Medeia and her loyal maid were determined to find what they sought. Rumours had reached the Errings Rising Ace of a large dragon, lurking somewhere within the caverns, who was hoarding a rare collection of ores that Medeia desired. The raven haired  witch was always keen to find new materials in order to use for her spells and this ore sounded like precisely what she was looking for. Yes, it would require removing the large lizard but she was not all that concerned about that. She had grown immensely during her time on Earthland and with her full powers restored, there was no longer any fear or doubt in her.

“Well, it looks like we are in for quite a challenge,” Armina uttered with a chuckle, “There must be dozens of chambers and paths down there. How are we going to find this dragon?”

“By going through every single chamber until we find it,” Medeia replied confidently, “We will not rest until we have that dragon's head on a plate and that ore in our possession.”

“That is certainly going to be something to see. They are tough bastards to bring down. I bet that Tiisha is not going to be happy about it either.” The maid answered mischievously.

“If it is not strong enough to defeat us then it deserves to be taken down. That is how it is with dragon’s, my dear. Tiisha understands that. Besides, it is being rather greedy by hoarding all that ore. Do you not agree?” There was a glint of amusement in Medeia’s eyes. “We could use a tough battle anyway as it has been some time since we last tested ourselves against a stout foe.”

“That is for certain. Our journey home was certainly anticlimactic,” responded the maid, “Shall we get started then?”

With a nod of her head, the two holy beings would descend to the ground, landing softly against the rough and stony ground. In front of them was a large cavern, dark and dank but without any hesitation whatsoever the two entered, prepared for whatever or whoever was waiting. Honestly, besides the dragon, the pair were rather ignorant as to what else may be lurking within the region but that only added to the excitement of their adventure. They walked side by side, their senses keenly tuned for the slightest sign of movement or sound. The worst kind of creatures seemed to lurk within the dark places of the world although the deadly duo were in no doubt that nothing could get in their way for long. The caverns were enormous in both height and width with the two feeling slightly dwarfed by the sheer size of the place. Add to that the rather musty smell and you had the loveliest of atmospheres.

Medeia’s slayer senses were soon captured by the scent and sound of something else and as the two turned a corner and came out into a large antechamber, the sight of a fire soon reached their eyes. SItting in the middle of the chamber by the fire were a group of five masked figures, who instantly turned towards the pair as they entered. They were up in an instant, wielding weapons which varied from swords to dagger to axes. The group looked like highwaymen or something of the sort and Armina immediately drew her large axe although for the moment, Medeia did not make any aggressive move.

“Halt ladies!” The leader of the masked figures shouted. “You have made a big mistake by walking in here and should do the right thing by surrendering all of your money and valuables to us in compensation. If you do not, we will have to get violent.”

“As if we would submit to the likes of you, mortal scum.” Armina replied, pointing her axe towards them. “You should be on your hands and knees begging for us to spare you, not the other way around. How about you all do it now and perhaps then my Mistress will spare you?”

The masked men laughed in response, spreading out and starting to surround the woman. There was a far nastier tone of the leader's voice as he spoke again. “My men are all over this area, whore, plundering the most valuable items from the caverns. One call from me and you will find yourselves facing fifty of us instead of five.”

“Five. Fifty. Five hundred. It would not make any difference,” Medeia cut in, “You are all worthless piles of meat that I would gladly feed to my mentee. By challenging us, you have doomed yourself and all of your little band.”

Clicking her fingers, the area around the witch would turn black and all five of the highwaymen would begin to change form. There was nothing that they could do about it and as they screamed and shrieked, they would be slowly polymorphed into hideous toads. Their cries would soon be replaced by a loud chorus of croaking and as they desperately tried to hop away, Medeia would turn to her maid and nod. With a chuckle, Armina would then proceed to follow the toads, bringing her foot down upon each one and squashing them into foul puddles of slime. She would proceed to do this to the four minions but as she moved towards the leader, Medeia gently grasped the back of her maid's dress, stopping her.

“No, my dear, let him go.” She mischievously ordered. “Allow him to gather his men and try again later. It will save us time having to hunt them all down individually.”

The leader hopped away as fast as he could, disappearing down one of the many side chambers and out of view, leaving the two ladies alone again.

Amused, Medeia turned to her maid and asked with a smile, “So, which way should we go? You can have the first pick.”

Laughing, the purple haired beauty would muse to herself before pointing straight ahead. “How about we just plough forwards and see where that leads?”

Taking the lead, Medeia would proceed to follow her maid’s suggestion, leading her most loyal follower onwards.

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“You should have let me squash him, Mistress,” Armina perked up after a minute or so, “He had no right to speak to you in such a way.”

“Do not concern yourself with that fool, my dear. We will come across again and then you can do whatever you wish to him. Let him stew in the fear that we have instilled in him for a bit. Perhaps he will be of use before our task is done. I doubt it but stranger things have happened.” Medeia answered in an amused tone of voice. “We have far more important matters to concern ourselves with anyway.”

Continuing along the path, the two would fall silent for a short period of time, pondering about just what was in store for them. The fact that it had only taken a few moments in order to run into trouble told them all they needed to know about what was to come and Medeia at least was intrigued. Perhaps there was more than simply the dragon’s ore to be found in the darkness, assuming that it had not already been pillaged by thieves and plunderers. For a place known as the Mysterious Caverns, it amused her that even the most pathetic of hooligans had managed to find the courage to explore them.

A sudden shriek suddenly reached the duo’s ears and as the two prepared for another possible fight, a rather pale looking thief would sprint into view, almost crashing into them due to the lack of light. Grasping hold of Medeia’s cloak, he would drop to his knees and struggle for breath, trying to recover his energy but the angel was having none of it and simply kicked him, knocking the idiot onto his back. “Keep your hands to yourself, human, before I remove them,” she uttered darkly, her good mood soured by his tenacity. “If you are looking for your little camp, it is no longer there.”

“I do not give a damn about them or anyone else. There are far worse things running around these caverns.” He gasped, panting hard. “There are beasts down here, far larger than normal. I ran afoul of an enormous bear that almost took my head off whose lair is at the end of this passage. I was lucky to get out of there alive. Please help me get out of here.”

“Not until you tell us everything that you know of this place,” Medeia demanded coldly, “Besides this bear, what else is skulking around? You can also divulge to us all you know about the gang of highwaymen that you claim you no longer care about. How many of them are there?”

“There are about fifty of us in all although half of us were not told anything about what was in here. The boss filled our heads with the thought of all of that lovely treasure that is supposed to be down here and we were greedy enough to come without thinking about it. I swear to you that after seeing that damn bear, I will never associate myself with them again. There has got to be a better way of making some money without risking my neck.”

“That explains why your little band is down here but what of the wildlife? You mentioned that bear but are you aware of anything else that maybe down here. Something larger with wings?” Medeia summoned a ball of flame at that point, revealing her face, whose gaze was locked upon his.

“You are joking, right? You cannot possibly be talking about a…” He stopped, noticing the seriousness of the look in Medeia’s eyes. “Oh God! A dragon? Somewhere down here?! Forget helping me, I will find my own way out.”

Getting up, he made to sprint past the two women but as he did, Medeia would briefly exchange a glance with her maid. The response was swift with Armina grabbing hold of the man and slamming him up against the wall. “I am afraid that we cannot let you leave. You see, by placing your filthy hands on my Mistress, you have angered her and there is only one punishment for that.” Thrusting him up against the wall, Armina would then draw her and axe and slash the gibbering wreck almost cleanly in two. With a burst of blood and one final shriek, his body would fall motionlessly to the floor, dead before he hit it. A flicker of bloodlust in her eyes, she would turn to Medeia, “That felt so good, Mistress!”

“Never change, my dearest Armina.” Medeia replied, flicking the flame up above her head so that it would continually light their way. “I suppose we now have our next opponent. A nice warm up for the dragon perhaps, hmm?”

“A bear is hardly in the same league as a dragon.” Armina scoffed, “We will be able to kill it with just a single blow. Mind you, I suppose that is the same for everything now. I do not know about you but I have never felt stronger since we destroyed our sect for good.”

“It is not just you. I believe that by defeating our kin and destroying the throne, we have gained all of the strength that it contained. Strength that we can now use to accomplish our own goals. We no longer have to look to the stars, wondering when the next attack will come. We are the ones on the attack, now and forever. Never forget that.”

“You always know what to say, Mistress,” her maid cheerfully answered. “Now let us smite this bear for I cannot wait to get my axe nice and bloody. Killing that fool was not even close enough to satiate my desire.”

“Let it grow slowly, my dear. There could be many foes that face us before we meet the dragon and the last thing that we want is for you to run out of energy before the main event. Now come, let us meet this furry fiend who scared that wretch so much.”


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As the two angels reached the end of the passage, they came out to find themselves in a forest like area. It was quite beautiful although Medeia was rather bemused by it. A forest? In the middle of a cavernous wasteland? It seemed strange and to make things even more confusing was the sight of an enclosed ceiling when she looked upwards through the trees. This area was similar to that of an oasis and the witch was instantly on guard. Was this a natural phenomenon or the creation of someone with unpleasant intentions? It could certainly explain the reason why bears would be hanging around but still, it was just a little off putting. She mused that another possibility could be that it was an attempt to push away and deceive those who sought to delve deeper into the ruins. It would be pretty effective at confusing those who were just blindly looking around. As it was, Medeia and her maid were under no illusions and both of them moved a hand towards their weapons, awaiting for their foes to appear.

They could soon start to feel eyes upon them and a growling sound could soon be heard, turning into a roar as a massive creature came out of the undergrowth to face the pair. It was indeed a bear but one that was far larger than normal, standing at least four to five times larger than a man. Its claws were like swords and judging from the wounds that it was carrying, it had definitely been in the wars. A protector of the area indeed. It was not all that happy to see them either and reared up on its hind legs, before slamming them down in a display of strength. Saliva was dripping from its jaws, eyeing the pair of women like Kyra did whenever she had a large slab of meat in front of her. Untamable and angered among measure, it desired only one thing. To destroy the two figures before it.

“Oh my! You are one mighty beast!” Armina eagerly said, her axe still covered in blood from killing the useless highwayman. “How about you bring your pretty face to my axe?”

The bear simply roared a second time, an eardrum bursting howl that seemed to reverberate around the forest. At first, nothing seemed to come from it but soon enough, other creatures began to emerge from all sides. Smaller bears, wolves and even the odd mountain lion or two. All with their eyes firmly burning holes through the two women. They may have all been rivals in the animal kingdom but for the moment at least, they were all focused on defending their land.

“It seems that the highwayman was under playing things just a bit.” Medeia mused, her hand moving down towards her waist and drawing a key that was attached to her attire. “How about we let Ethna join in on the fun? This seems like the perfect battle for her.”

Without waiting a moment, she then raised the key to the sky and proclaimed, “I summon Ethna The Huntress!”

A flash of light would briefly cover the area and when it faded, Medeia’s spirit would be standing beside her. Sitting upon her loyal spiritual panther, Leonos, Ethna would sternly look around at the situation that she found herself in and turned her gaze to her mistress. “Well, I suppose I do not need to ask why you have summoned me.” Her tone was as deadpan and serious as ever.

“Fire away, my dear.” Medeia answered simply.

With that, the fight began with the summon making the first move and firing a powerful shot from her bow. A lovely aimed attack that struck into the side of one of the bears heads. Roaring with pain, it would tumble to the ground, where the summons great panther would then charge forwards and strike with its powerful claws. The summon would then move on a swivel, unleashing arrow after arrow as her panther started to give chase to those that she hit. They worked perfectly together and the animals against them were driven mad with fear and anger.

Armina was soon in on the action too, wielding her mighty axe and swinging it with great force, cleaving the first wolf that got into range of her mighty weapon. That was all she needed in order to get the blood lust flowing again and the maid was soon knee deep in wolves, her battle cries even louder than the roaring of the animals. It was pure bliss for her and she was thoroughly loving every moment of it. How many did she kill? It was difficult to tell and honestly, she could not have cared less. All that mattered to her was smashing her blade into the skull of the next beast.

The large bear, however, only had eyes for Medeia and tore towards her. The ground shook due to the force of his charge but the angel was ready for him, moving to the side at just the right time and drawing her sickle. As he moved past her, she hurled the sickle like a boomerang which caught him hard in the back, before the weapon returned to her hand. It was a powerful blow but the bear was hardy enough to not go down. Instead, he simply turned around and charged a second time. With a smile, she would bring the sickle in front of her and press the gemstones on the centre of it, resulting in the weapon becoming charged with her magical power. Swinging the sickle with all her might, she would powerfully slash him in the face with the blade, hitting him with such force that he was lifted into the air and launched backwards into a tree.

It was absolute mayhem and as the three women went about their work, all that could be heard were battle cries and the dying screams of the animals that were slaughtered. This was certainly a memorable warm up for the trio.

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Ethna’s arrows almost seemed to be hone in on her targets, such was her accuracy with the bow. Bear after bear was pierced by her mighty projectiles and soon enough the forest floor was littered with them. Leonos would be just as busy, rolling around with the mountain cats and overpowering them with considerable ease. Truthfully, it was the first time that they had properly been able to show off in front of their Mistress and the two seemed to be enjoying themselves. A trait that all four of the combatants seemed to share. The beasts, however, were running out of allies quite quickly and the few that still remained were by now trying to get away. Armina was having none of it though and chased after them as swiftly as she could, her axe continuing to carve its path through their hides. The extermination was almost at an end and soon enough only the leader of the bears remained although after Medeia’s strike, he was barely able to get back to his feet.

The witch would slowly walk towards her foe, her sickle prime and ready in her hand, prepared to deal the finishing blow. Gasping for breath and his eyes dilating with pain and fear, the bear would struggle to return to its feet. Proudly facing his incoming death, as he had proudly tried to defend his home. In a way, Medeia felt a little admiration for the beast for fighting so hard and he had certainly done better than the pathetic highwaymen had died. He had not managed to put a scratch on her but had survived a blow from her, which was something that she could not say about most of her enemies. As she approached, he would try and bite her but his strength was well and truly gone and so she delivered one final blow, cleaving his head from his body and ending the rule of the forest’s protector.

Once it was over, the group would walk back towards each other, Armina being completely covered in blood at this point. Yet, the smile on her face told Medeia all she needed to know and with a giggle, the purple haired woman spoke first. “Well, I take back what I said about this being a boring fight. I enjoyed myself immensely taking that lot out. I hope that the rest of our fights will be that much fun.”

“I must admit that I agree with Armina,” Ethna added, “I have not enjoyed myself so much in quite some time. I hope that you will allow me to stay for the rest of your quest, Mistress.” Leonos roared in agreement, briefly licking his fur to get some of the blood out of it.

“Of course, my dear,” Medeia replied, “If this fight was anything to go by, I think it is safe to say that things will only become more exciting as we go. I only hope that this dragon is actually real and not just some pathetic mortal rumour.”

“A dragon? My, that is quite an opponent that you are seeking,” The huntress answered, “My bow is quivering at the thought of engaging one of those monsters in battle.”

“Good. You will need all of that energy for what is to come.” The raven haired woman responded. “Now, let us continue on our quest and see what else is in store for us.”

With that, the three turned from the blood covered forest and made their way onwards. Not one sound could be heard from that point on and no beast dared to attack them after what they had just witnessed. They now had free passage across the oddly vibrant area and once they had crossed it, another gaping cavern was awaiting them. Another pitch black passage, similar to the first. There was no time to waste and so the trio pushed onwards, into the gloom, unknowing as to what awaited them next. Medeia would briefly wave her hand again, summoning another small flame to light their way, the effort needed hardly noticeable at all. She had come such a long way and the witch had surprised herself by just how her power had grown. There was little in the world that could trouble her now and with her companions in tow, that few had practically become zero.

“Do you think that there might be other magic users in here?” Armina asked, her voice still giddy due to the fight previous.

“It would not surprise me as I am sure that the ore would be enough to encourage mages of all kinds to come. It is apparently worth a fortune although that is not why I desire it but still, money talks, as mortals like to say. You saw how greed corrupted the minds of the highwaymen, I imagine that it would be the same for those who use the magical arts.” Medeia opined.

“I would like to see if their magic could handle my arrows, as well as my companion.” Ethna quipped confidently. “There are many beings in this world that the two of us have yet to face and I am hopeful that by making a contract with you, we will get the chance.”

“Of course. Now that our business with our kin is complete, Armina and I have now turned her attention to this realm. There will be countless battles ahead of us, against foes that you have not even dreamed of. This world is just brimming with opportunities although the scum that try to rule it will do their utmost to squash them. Not that they have a hope in the deepest pits of Hell in preventing us from doing what we desire.”

“Anyone who does try it will soon find my axe embedded in their skull.” Armina chipped in. “For how can we be free if we are forced to follow the laws of filthy mortals?”

“Well said.” Ethna replied with a smile.

That thought playing around in their minds, the three would continue to trek through the twisted and turning snakelike passage, each one ready for what was to come.

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The passageway seemed to go on forever but finally the three appeared into a surprisingly well lit chamber. There were lit torches hanging from each wall which was rather suspicious to say the least. Leonos would quickly start to sniff, the enormous spiritual panthers tail swishing as he picked something up. Armina, however, was far too eager to move on and quickly started to sprint across the chamber, her footsteps loudly slapping against the stony ground. The witch was about to call her maid back but she was just a second too late, as a sudden blast of flame would burst from beneath the purple haired woman, scorching her.

Angered, the maid would start to spin her axe around in a circle, dispelling the magic with a spell of her own. It was quite a marvel to see her be able to wield her mighty weapon with such ease and even Ethna had to raise an eyebrow. After thirty second or so, the maid had put out the fire although her maid’s garb was damaged beyond repair. Irritated, she would stamp a foot. “Hmph. Now I am going to have to find a new outfit when we get back. It took me ages to get this one made properly.”

“That is what you get for being so careless, my dear.” Medeia replied, somewhat amused by her closest allies' words. “Are you hurt?”

“Only my pride, Mistress,” Armina despondently answered, looking quite peeved still as she walked back to the rest of the group.

Turning her gaze to the ground, Medeia would notice that there were grooves in the stone. Perhaps the trigger for the flames? Not the most original of traps but one that the trio would have to be careful of nonetheless. “It appears that we are going to have to watch our steps, ladies. Try and avoid the grooves in the ground. They seem to be the key behind the flames appearing.” Her gaze would then turn to the walls around them, which noticeably had the same grooves upon them.“Hmm. It would appear that flying is not going to be an option either. Whoever created this room certainly did not want anyone to pass. Be careful.”

The three or four counting Ethna’s panther started to slowly make their way across the room, splitting up somewhat so that they did not get in each other’s way. It took a fair amount of grace to do and Armina noticeably struggled with it but as time passed, the group were able to get to grips with it. After the adrenaline fight before, having to take part in such a task only added to the difficulty. Their pulses were still racing but maybe that was just another part of the trial? For that was what Medeia was starting to think that this all was. One long test of their skills and temperament. Who created the test? Well, if the rumours were true then surely it was the large dragon who would be waiting for them at the end. Such beasts were known for their wisdom as well as might, after all.

“Oh ladies!” A voice would suddenly shout, catching the three slightly off guard. Standing at the entrance of the chamber behind them would be the now human again leader of the highwaymen. “I thank you for giving me the chance to collect my men and we would love the chance to return the favour from before.” There was a rather large force behind him and it seemed that the fool that they had killed before had not been lying when he spoke of the amount of men loitering around the caverns. “Kill them men!”

It said a great deal about the man that he sent his men into the chamber first rather than leading the charge and fortunately for him, it was definitely the right call. The first highwaymen were charred to a crisp before they even had a chance and as Medeia and her allies escaped the chamber, they simply turned around and watched. The scene behind them was brutal and even the hardiest of the highwaymen were barely able to walk ten paces into the room without stepping on one of the grooves. So focused were they on trying to reach the women that they failed to consider their surroundings and the force of fifty soon dwindled down to just a handful, fearfully standing at the other side of the room.

The leader of the men was in complete shock, his ego and seemingly shattered by what he had just witnessed. “Damn you all.” He shouted. “It took me months to build up my guild and now look at them. Burnt to cinders. All of my hard work, gone to waste. Do you have any idea…”

“Ethna. End his miserable life.” Medeia gently ordered her archer. “Listening to him is causing my ears to bleed.”

Ethna did not need to be told twice and with a great amount of pleasure, she nocked an arrow and fired it at the mumbling buffoon. He did not even respond to the attack and simply took it in the chest, the force of the arrow knocking him backwards, the life leaving his body the moment it hit. The remaining highwaymen’s courage left them and without any further words or aggressive action, they would turn and run for their lives.

“Hopefully that will be the last of them.” the witch commented.

“I doubt that they will cause any more trouble for anyone after that.” The hunter replied. “Their spirits have been completely broken and I think we have put the fear into them."

Nodding in agreement, Medeia turned to her maid, who was trying to make something of her now ruined outfit. The witch chuckled lightly. “The last time I saw you like that was during our last session, my dear.”

Armina had to smirk as she answered, “I much prefer having you doing the handling though then a bloody fire trap, Mistress.”

(1000 Words)
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There was a drop in temperature as the group pressed on, as though even the condition were trying to tell them to turn back. A frigid chill that tried to freeze them in their tracks and cause doubt to attack their minds. It was an unusual feeling and one that none of the women appreciated but such was their force of will that they were capable of pushing past it. They had faced far darker moments in their lives and this was nothing compared to those. The fires that burned within their hearts easily burnt through the chill and after their previous fights, all three were now fully in gear, both mentally and physically. The caverns could do whatever they wished to try and put them off but nothing would daunt for long, nothing. They had come too far now to turn back and Medeia’s desire for the ore that the dragon was supposed to hoard was far too great to be ignored. Her mind was already beginning to conjure up possible uses for it, of curses that she could perhaps create or potions that could be concocted. Maybe she could even create a torture device with it or a toy that could be used for her and Armina’s games.

“I smell death and it is not coming from behind us.” Armina stated, breaking Medeia’s thought train. “Rotten flesh and all.”

“Undead maybe?” Ethna asked.

“Possibly.” Medeia answered. “Keep your guard up. A wound from a monster of that type will certainly be unpleasant and I would hate to see either of you become infected.”

“As if you could not just heal us in a moment, Mistress.” Armina complimented. “There has never been an injury that you have not been able to heal with your powers.”

“You flatter me but the fact remains. I do not wish to see either of you infected for even a moment. End them quickly.”

The trio would come out into yet another chamber although this one was far more grim than those previous. The walls were lined with coffins and the smell of death was rather overwhelming for those without a strong constitution. There was an almost gothic vibe to the place and it was anything but inviting. In the centre of the room lay a far larger coffin which opened as soon as they approached. A figure would hastily sit up and turn its gaze towards them, pale faced with red eyes, a large pair of fangs clearly visible. It had the form of a female but there was nothing human about its gaze. It viewed them as a meal, nothing else. The creature spoke no words and simply waved a hand, causing the coffins surrounding the trio to burst open, with the zombies inside coming to life.

“Here we go again.” Ethna uttered, opening fire the moment she saw the zombies coming. They were not all that intelligent and besides blundering forward, they did not seem to have much in the way of offense. It was all too easy for the huntress to pick them off once at a time and Leonos was soon in on the action too, his massive paws laying waste to all that got in his path. The duo were always a wonder to watch in action and now was no exception. Ethna shot them and then her panther moved in for the kill. Simple and yet so effective. The zombies were torn completely to shreds. After a while, she would start to count. “Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen.” She calmly stated, her bow unleashing another powerful shot that caught a zombie right through the neck.

“Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty.” Armina giggled, getting into the swing of things too, her enormous weapon getting stuck into the undead creatures too. What she lacked in terms of grace, she made up for with sheer physical might and there was no chance that the undead creatures could match her when it came to that. Their attacks were slow and clumsy, giving her all the time she needed to separate their heads from their shoulders or any other part of their body that she could reach. The mission was turning into just an exercise in brutality for her and she adored every moment of it. After having suffered too much pain and torment in her long life, the maid was finally able to live as she wished to, at the side of her Mistress and lover. The bond between them was so incredibly strong and the two were almost inseparable. Where one went, the other followed and Armina could not have been any happier with that.

The vampire, however, did not attack and instead simply waved her hand again, summoning a large group of bats that tried to break the concentration of the two warriors. Yet, Medeia was having none of it and summoned a mighty sand tornado that obliterated the creatures in seconds, leaving only their carcasses on the ground. “How about you leave them be and play with me instead?” The witch suggested, tilting her head to the side. “You see. I have a fondness for blood and if you are what I believe you are then I am sure that is the same for you. You are Nosferatu, yes?”

The being merely hissed in answer, her fangs extending further. Words seemed to be beyond her although the anger and hostility that she was showing did make words somewhat redundant. As her minions were obliterated, she would then dive towards Medeia, hands reaching for the witch, her mouth opening. The angel simply blew a magical kiss in response, striking the vampire on the cheek mid charge and causing her eyes to roll back in her head, completely under Medeia’s control. “My powers are simply at a different level than yours.” She gently said, cupping the vampire's chin with her hand before lifting it, closing the dark beings mouth. “Now, while you are nice and peaceful. I wish for you to tell me who you serve. I know that your kind are capable of speech and you will answer me. Now.”

While her two allies were continuing their slaughter of the underlings, Medeia simply remained where she was, awaiting the vampire’s answer.

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“I serve the mages of The Obsidian Order.” The vampire answered, her voice flat and emotionless, unable to shake off Medeia’s spell. “Tasked to defend this place from all those who enter it. Our order is in allegiance with the dragon who resides at the centre of these caverns and it is duty to protect him. There are so few dragons left in this world and so the order has taken it upon itself to keep this one safe from all those who are a danger to him. Heed my warning, mage. Delve any deeper and you will come across a force that you are not prepared for, who have spent their entire lives training for such an occasion as this. You and your minions will be eradicated before you can even utter a spell. Turn back and be spared from that fate.”

“Foolishness,” Medeia scoffed, “If this order of yours is tasked with protecting the beast then we will simply destroy it along with him. Do not waste my time with idle threats. I would have thought that the sight of your weak and useless undead pawns would have told you all you needed to do about us. We are at a level beyond that of mortal mages, a fact that your masters will soon discover for themselves. We seek the dragon’s hoard and neither you, your master or the dragon itself will hinder us from retrieving what we seek. That is the reality of the situation.”

“Then face them in battle and see for yourselves just how weak they are.” The pale faced creature retorted. “Be prepared for the battle of your life, witch.”

Medeia simply watched the paralysed figure for a moment, before delivering a powerful slash with her sickle, the magical effect from before still at full strength. The damage was such that the vampire simply faded away into nothing, disintegrating and returning to the afterlife. As she defeated the vampire, her allies would finish off the zombies, resulting in the chamber being littered with them. Beckoning her allies to the edge of the chamber, Medeia would then tap into her powers and unleash a storm of fire, in order to burn the undead creatures so strongly that they would never be able to stir again. Once it was done, the three would reunite.

“It appears that we have an order of mages to thank for this little diversion.” Medeia stated to her allies. “Charged with protecting the dragon from us or so the vampire said. It appears that we have one more obstacle before we will be able to face the obsidian beast in battle but at least we now have confirmation of the lizard being here. We will have our fight with one today.”

“I assume that these mages were most likely the cause of our other trials as well?” Ethna inquired.

“I believe so. It would not be too difficult to create the forest and traps with magic and who knows what powers they wield? Not that it truly matters as they will not stand a chance against us.”

“Then how about we stop talking about it and get moving?” Armina impatiently interrupted. “These bastards owe me a new maid outfit!”

“Are you seriously still thinking about that?” Ethna sighed.

The raven haired angel simply chuckled at the exchange. “All right then. Let us move out and end this mission. Our prize is near.”

However, as the trio approached the next hallway, a large magical barrier would suddenly burst into life, blocking their way. It was a multicoloured shield, large enough to cover the entire wall and as Medeia curiously tapped it with her sickle, she received a short electric shock back in return. “Hmm. Interesting.” She uttered. “It appears that the mages truly are adamant about stopping us from passing. Not that this barrier will help them. Step back ladies.”

Realising what was about to happen, both Armina and Ethna retreated, the latter gently patting her panther. Medeia, meanwhile, raised a hand towards the barrier and unleashed a powerful blast of sand, putting her full force behind the spell. The barrier would start to glow brighter as its durability was tested, struggling to defend against the witch’s brutal magic power. Sparks of electricity would start to burst from it, randomly striking the wall and ceiling. Yet, her perseverance paid off as cracks soon started to appear, the barrier simply unable to hold and after about thirty second or so, it exploded in a surge of power, leaving the way forward clear.

“Well, so much for that.” Medeia remarked, lowering her hand. “It will take more than a little barrier to keep me out. Shall we proceed?”

Continuing on, the threesome would proceed to walk through the entranceway to the next snaking passageway, more prepared than ever for a battle. They were close now and as they confidently strode forwards, the three began to steel themselves for what was going to be their toughest battles during their quest. Medeia did not believe for one moment that this order would be able to stop her but she was still certain that they would at least test her and her companions a little. After they had fallen, only the dragon would remain, a fight that would definitely test them.

There was a definite incline as they walked and when they finally came out into a large area, they found themselves walking into the middle into what appeared to be the lair of the dragon or at least the entrance to it. They were standing on a large ring structure which wrapped around a massive distance. In the centre was an enormous hole and the women did not have to think twice about what was awaiting them down there in the deep. The three would walk towards the crevice and briefly gaze down before a loud booming voice attracted their attention.

“Do not take another step! You have wandered into the lair of a beast far beyond your comprehension.”

A hooded figure approached them, staff in hand, clearly male from his deep voice.

“I take it that you are responsible for all the death and destruction that has taken place in the passageways? Speak or suffer our wrath!”

As he spoke, other hooded figures would start to come forward out of the shadows. All wielding staff type weapons and dressed in exactly the same way.

“We have come for the dragon and its hoard.” Medeia replied defiantly. “Your minion has already informed us of your intentions and I must say that her mind was so easy to open. When it comes to raising the dead, you are truly useless but I suppose that is expected. Your traps failed miserably in trying to stop us.”

“Your arrogance is appalling and I sense the smell of death and depravity upon you. You will be allowed to touch our draconic lord nor steal from his plunder. We will destroy you now before you do any more harm.”

“You speak as though you are capable of such a thing but know this mortal. By engaging us in battle, your lives are forfeit for we are unable to die. We come from a realm that you will never be able to reach and by falling to us, you will spend the rest of existence rotting in Hell. That is the fate of all those who challenge us. Now, come and show us what your order is capable of.” As she spoke, Ethna and Armina once more moved into a combat position.

(1261 Words)
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They were the last words that were spoken before total war broke out between the two groups. The mages of the order raised their weapons as one and began unleashing a barrage of elemental attacks towards Medeia’s group. Fire, water, electricity. Balls and bolts came flying in the direction of the three women, resulting in them quickly breaking formation and spreading out. Ethna’s bow would dance to life again, firing arrow after arrow at the foolish mortals, while Leonos focused on evading their enemies' attacks. It worked well and the archer was soon starting to count again in her head regarding the numbers of enemies she shot. Hunter and panther showed no fear and eventually started to move in towards the mages, breaking their lines with powerful attacks. Once they got in closer, the two would roar in unison, unleashing a mighty blast of magic that immobilised at least a dozen of the mages, making them perfect targets for Ethna’s arrows. The mages soon became panicked, struggling to get their spells out.

It was not quite so easy for Armina as fighting from range was not her strong suit but she was able to unleash her chains upon one of the mages, hurling them towards her foe and grasping his wrists. With a laugh, she would then pull herself to him, before unleashing a brutal beatdown upon him with her fists alone. Once she had killed him, the maid began to repeat the process. Launching onto her next target and continuing to massacre them in the same way. It was effective despite its simplicity and the busty purple haired maid was soon darting from target to target. She was almost like a human spider and was thoroughly enjoying herself as she tore her way through them.

For Medeia though, it was all too easy and as she was more than able to easily dodge the spells coming her way. With both her hands working in tandem, she would summon two tornadoes, one of sand and another of her own purple material which sent dozens of her targets into the air, immobilising them and leaving them to be eaten away by her spells. Their shrieks and screams were rather painful on the ears but the witch took nothing but joy from it all. They honestly believed that they had a hope against her? Such stupidity. As her spells faded and they collapsed to the ground, Leonos was upon them, unleashing a barrage of claws attacks that finished them off. The four were truly learning to fight as one, a thought that brought a smile to Medeia’s face.

The mages kept coming though and Medeia would spin on her heel and unleash one of her more unique spells. A pot of the purest gold would appear in the centre of them, gold so precious that it would draw all of the nearby mages towards it. They were just unable to fight against the pull on their sense of greed, each of them desperately wanting to grapes the lovely object with their hands. Of course, there was always a trick when it came to the angel’s spells and the moment one of them touched the gold, it exploded, covering all of them in red hot gold. Falling to the ground, they would all twitch and groan in pain, horrible scalding blisters all over their bodies.

With a tilt of her head, Medeia would then cast a second spell, causing the ground beneath the mages to turn to liquid gold, resulting in them sinking slowly into it, until nothing remained. She adored her magic so much and smiling, the raven haired woman would spin around once more to find the leader of the order desperately struggling to command his remaining forces. Medeia was having none of it and clicked her fingers once more, resulting in her lovely tentacle ability to burst into action, grabbing the leader from below and locking him in its clutches. Her favourite spell of all and one that always brought a smile to her face. Once he was in possession of him, she would turn and shout towards the remaining fighters. “Drop your weapons or I will have my tentacle squeeze the life out of him!”

For a moment, the few remaining mages seemed at a loss as to whether to comply or not but when faced with either surrender or facing Ethna and Armina, they took the cowardly option. Throwing their weapons down, they would then kneel down, hands behind their heads. So much for their bravery, the witch thought to herself.

Armina turned towards Medeia at that point. “What should we do with them Mistress?”

Drawing a finger across her throat, the witch would give her answer, one that brought a giddy smile to the face of the maid. Without wasting a moment, Armina would lift her axe and begin to execute the prisoners with a vigour that turned the leader of the order’s face white, his hood forced back to reveal a rather elderly man. The execution took little more than a minute and by the time the maid was done, the ground was covered with the blood of the mages.

“You butcher!” The leader spat, struggling in vain against the tentacle. “I suppose now you will do the same to me?!”

The tentacle would squeeze the man in retaliation for his words, causing him to yell in pain as his insides were crushed. At first, Medeia was going to stop her beloved spell from killing him but after a second or two of thought, she changed her mind and uttered. “Go ahead. Crush him, my dearest Janice.” That was all the tentacle needed to know and crushed the man with its full strength, turning him into a lifeless corpse by the time it was done. Once its job was done, the spell would vanish, leaving little more than bones.

“Just the dragon to go then.” Armina cheerfully said. “Ready when you are, Mistress.”

Stepping towards the large hole in the centre of the cavern, Medeia would pause and turn to her allies. “The only way for us from here is down and I suspect it will be a long drop.” With a rotation of their shoulders, both Medeia and Armina would sprout a pair of large wings.

Ethna, however, frowned as she looked down. “I am afraid that there is no way that Leonos and I would survive such a drop without having to return to the celestial realm. I think it would be better if we return now and then reappear at the bottom. Is that agreeable with you?”

“By all means, do so. We will meet you at the bottom.” Medeia replied with a nod.

With a brief bow, Ethna and her panther would then disappear, leaving the angels alone.

“One last fight, my dear.” The witch uttered, her gaze catching her maids.

“Then let us make it a good one.”

That being said, the two would then drop from the ledge together, into the pitch black depths below.

(1176 Words)
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It was difficult to tell just how long the pair of angels fell. It could have been minutes or days, such was the endless darkness that surrounded the pair. Both Medeia and Armina made the most of their time though, stealing themselves one last time for the fight that was about to begin. The raven haired woman was uncertain as to whether the enormous lizard would even desire to speak to them but she was more than prepared to start the battle immediately if that was how things were going to go. She would activate her full takeover as she descended, her form returning to its most primal and powerful. Her eyes, hair and dress turned purple in colour and her wings grew far larger. Her magical power went through the roof and a giggle could be heard from her maid.

To her slight surprise, Medeia would feel the arms of Armina wrap around her waist as they dropped, causing a chuckle to escape the lips of the witch. “Of all the times that you could start to fool around, you choose to do so now?”

“I cannot help it, Mistress. I just love it whenever you return to your old form. It brings back so many memories and I simply must be close to you.” Armina’s tone was filled with desire and Medeia suddenly felt the lips of her maid press against her cheek. “When this is all over, how about we have a celebration? Just the two of us.”

“You read my mind, my dearest Armina.” The witch replied. “What better way to prove our superiority over the beast than by expressing our lust for each other all over its lair?”

“Mmm. That sounds heavenly and only fires me up more. This dragon will not know what hit him.” The maid answered, her hands gently squeezing her mistress.

In each other’s arms, the two would continue to drop for quite some time, before finally reaching the bottom of the pit. It came rather suddenly if the pair were honest and the two were only just able to brace themselves before hitting the solid stony ground. The atmosphere was heavy and dark, enough that no doubt that many would already be curling up in fear. Yet, Medeia and Armina were not that weak and with a blast of flame, the witch was able to light up the area around her and what an area it was.

They were in an enormous treasure room, with trinkets and jewels littering the ground around them. Gold and silver, rubies and sapphires, a true treasure trove. Medeia’s eyes lit up at the sight and her inner desire for gold was almost egging her into devouring some of the precious metal. Yet, there was no sign of any of the ore that she desired and so she and her maid began to explore the room, half expecting an attack at any moment. Surprisingly though, he did not come out straight away.

So, with a slight smile on her face, Medeia would bend down and take a golden locket into her hand. “I wonder if perhaps we need to deal a little damage before he will appear?” She mused.

Her maid giggled. “Oh, he is not going to like you eating his gold!”

Her eyes flashing with mirth, the witch would place the locket in her mouth and take a bite, loving the delicious taste of the gold as it slid down her throat. It truly was lovely and she made sure to make the most out of every bite, trying to irritate the beast in her own way. Yet, there was still no response and so she would repeat the process, devouring the prettiest items of gold that she could find, slowly starting to eat his hoard of gold.

For the next ten minutes or so, she would do just that, slowly wandering up the pile of treasure, making the most of her free meal. Armina, never one to shy away from a free gift or two, pocketed a few trinkets for herself too. They were performing with Medeia imagined would be a taboo act or at least, that was what she hoped.

It was just as she began chomping on a large gold bar that the ground seemed to shake and with a brief exchange of glances between the two angels, they would take to the sky and get out of the way. Sure enough, the pile of treasure would soon be sent flying as an enormous creature burst from the pile. Its body was covered in steel and earth, eyes a bright yellow colour with claws that could cut through the strongest of materials. At last, the dragon had made his appearance and he certainly did not look pleased to see the two women.

“YOU DARE DEVOUR MY HOARD!” He roared, his voice so loud that the ground shook again. “FOOLISH GNATS! ARE YOU TRULY IDIOTIC ENOUGH TO BELIEVE THAT I WOULD ALLOW YOU TO DO SO? I AM BRAHIM, THE DRACONIC LORD OF THE CAVERNS AND THIS IS MY LAND THAT YOU ARE TRESPASSING ON!” Angrily, he would unleash an almighty breath attack at the pair of angels, a combination of steel and earth that the two women had to quickly evade.

“Spare us your pathetic speeches, lizard.” Medeia replied coldly. “Your threats have no effect on us and we have come for your head, as well as the precious ore that you so desperately hoard. There is no one left besides you, as your brain dead followers have been eradicated. Why would such a being as yourself hide behind mortals anyway? Are you truly that cowardly?”

The dragon reared back on his hind legs and laughed in a mocking fashion. “YOU BELIEVE THAT I NEED THEM TO DEFEND ME? HA! PURE IDIOCY! I DID NOT FORCE THEM TO SERVE ME, THEY DID IT BECAUSE THEY RESPECT AND FEAR MY POWER AS SHOULD YOU!

Bringing his front legs down again, he would unleash a shockwave as a sign of his might, before leaning his head closer to the angels, peering with his blazing golden gaze. “YET, THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE ABOUT YOU TWO. YOU HAVE THE PRESENCE OF SOMETHING FAR GREATER THAN MERE MORTALS. PERHAPS YOU WILL PROVE TO BE A CHALLENGE FOR ME AT LAST! TELL ME FOR I AM JUST DYING TO KNOW. WHO IS IT THAT BARGES INTO MY SANCTUM?”

“I am Medeia and this is Armina. What you are detecting is our divine essence. We once served the heavens, now we desire their destruction. Does that satiate your curiosity?”

“SUCH A SHAME THAT YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO FULFILL YOUR LOFTY AMBITIONS. FOR YOUR LIVES END NOW, BY MY CLAWS!” With one final roar, the large dragon would then erupt towards the two angels, his gaze blazing with righteous hatred for the two.

(1147 Words)
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The beast was such a size that it truly was difficult for the two angels to get out of the way. Their only real hope was to fly upwards, just about avoiding the dragon’s deadly charge. His size was a weakness as well as a strength though and Medeia cast a fireball at the creature which caught him on the back, forcing him to howl in anger. Her attack had left a nasty burn on his body but other than that, it did not seem to do a great deal of damage. He was certainly hardy but there was little time for the duo to watch him as the enormous creature suddenly whipped his tail up in the air towards them, its shape changing to almost be whip like in nature. Armina was about to move in the way to block it with her axe but Medeia darted in front and did the job herself and for good reason. His tail strike was powerful and the witch was pushed backwards by the force of it. Her sickle negated the attack for the most part but Medeia did not imagine that her maid would have been able to. That tail had an immense amount of force behind it.

“Do not be reckless, my dear.” She uttered to her maid. “That tail is far stronger than you might think. Be careful.”

“Understood, Mistress.” The maid dutifully replied, before activating her own spell in order to increase her defences, before flying down to try and get into attack range. She did lack Medeia’s range and her only real form of attack was to get into at least semi close range. Fortunately, she was able to land on the dragon’s back, giving her the perfect opportunity to smash away with her axe. Brahim roared and reared as he felt the sting of her blows, desperately trying to dislodge the maid.

Medeia smiled and then drew Ethna’s key again, repeating her previous chant and summoning her huntress back into the fray. They did not share any words at all and both Ethna and her panther dropped down, joining Armina on the beast's back, where they could do the most damage. All three of the witch’s allies would shoot, cleave and bite at the beats back and scales, trying to break through its tough hide.

The raven haired woman would watch the battle from above for a few moments, before withdrawing a book from her various assortment of items which hung on her belt. A book that hummed with power and one that Medeia adored, The Tome Of Glory. Opening the tome, she would then utter a few magical words, which caused a bright light to burst from the book, followed by an array of yellow tendrils that wrapped around herself and her allies. A powerful spell which not only healed and protected but enhanced the targets magical power as well. The eyes of her group all started to glow with the power granted to them, each of their blows increasing in strength.

Flying down towards the dragon herself, Medeia would then pull the book wide, attacking the dragon with a powerful blast of light that seemed to break through its natural defences. “Strike now, my friends.” Medeia called. “His resistance to our attacks has been lowered. Attack!” Her group would respond with a battle cry and resume their assault with more powerful blows. The dragon would should and screech, the scales on his back starting to drop from him as Medeia’s team did their work. Roaring with rage, he would start to spin around, trying to dislodge them.

Yet while he was focused on them, Medeia was able to start uttering another spell. Her hands would turn black, pointing towards her foe, as a blast of darkness formed between them and was unleashed. It flew truly and once it reached the great dragon, it would create a large sarcophagus that surrounded the large lizard’s head, immobilising and leaving it in pure darkness. His movements would stop as the spell was in effect and after a few moments, the entire sarcophagus would be pierced by an immeasurable amount of jet black spears. penetrating through his armoured head and dealing severe damage to him. Armina, Ethna and Leonos would use the time while he was immobilised to leap from his great body and attack Brahim’s legs, striking them until they buckled and caused the dragon to collapse to the ground. By the time Medeia’s spell lifted, Brahim’s head was covered in puncture marks, his strength starting to leave him due to the force of the combined attacks from the foursome.

He was not finished just yet though and unleashed an all mighty attack, sending spikes of earth and metal in all directions, forcing the group to have to evade and dodge the deadly barrage. Armina with her axe, Ethna with her box and Leonos by simply having to try and get out of the way. As for Medeia, she would turn her gaze upwards and utter one final chant, causing a massive purple meteor to tumble from above, crashing on top of the giant beast and crushing him under the meteors immense weight. A cloud of dust would cover the area after the attack and once it disappeared, the dragon lay motionlessly on the stony ground. Defeated.

Placing her sickle back where it belonged on her back, Medeia would float down to the head of the dragon, who miraculously was able to open one eye, looking directly at her. “YOU AND YOUR COMPANIONS FOUGHT A WARRIOR’S FIGHT.” He said weakly, his voice even now still loud enough to reverberate around the room. “I UNDERESTIMATED YOU, ANGEL AND I SUPPOSE THIS IS THE PRICE THAT I MUST PAY FOR THAT. THE ORE YOU DESIRE? IT LIES WITHIN MY BODY AND ONCE I PASS ON, IT WILL BE LEFT BEHIND FOR YOU TO TAKE. YOU HAVE EARNED IT AND I PASS FROM THIS WORLD WITH A SENSE OF CONTENTMENT KNOWING THAT. USE IT WELL, MEDEIA.”

With a final deep sigh, Brahim’s eyes closed for the final time, his body suddenly vanishing in a burst of obsidian. Once his body was gone, all that remained of him was the promised ore, a vast amount that would keep Medeia stocked for quite some time. Victory was theirs and as the group reunited and began to pack away the ore, words soon began to fill the room.

“That was most certainly an adventure to remember.” Ethna commented, a soft smile across her face. “I can now cross dragons off of my list of creatures to hunt. I appreciate you summoning me for this, Mistress Medeia, you have given me quite the tale to tell back home.”

“You are most welcome, my dear.” Medeia replied. “I will remember to summon you the next time we face a foe of his caliber. I must admit that these quests appeal far more to me now. I will be on the lookout for more.”

“I look forward to it, farewell to you both.” Her business with her summoner completed, Ethna and her panther would then vanish, returning to their own realm.

Once the ore had been collected, now safely stored and ready for moving, Medeia would then proceed to move behind her lovely maid and grasp her around the waist, as the former had done to her before. “Now, what were you saying about a celebration?” She asked mischievously, her grip tightening a little.

Armina giggled like a schoolgirl in response. “I think you remember exactly what I said, Mistress. Something about showing our domination over the dragon’s lair?”

“Mmm.” The witch answered simply, before spinning her maid around and pressing her lips against the purple haired woman’s.

That was how Medeia’s mission to the Mysterious Caverns ended. In the arms of her beloved maid, making sweet love in the lair of the defeated beast.

(1320 Words)
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