Racing forward, Ralph delivered a powerful kick to the monster’s belly, and it spiraled through the air. Before it fell to the ground, Ralph raced after the toad and delivered two quick slashes. He had crossed the distance in less than a second, and his mouth dropped in awe at his own speed. The charge had consumed almost all of his essence, but it had been remarkable.
But killing these toads had just earned him more. Ralph inhaled deeply, the Infernal Essence from the two mountain corpses siphoning into his Adventurer’s Sigil. Every time he absorbed the substance, it felt like Lilith herself was gifting him with power. It was a darkness that never felt quite sufficient, a hunger that would never be satiated.
For now, though, it was enough. It might even be enough for the rest of his life. It gave him purpose.
Breathing in the new power, Ralph pulled the old man to his feet.
“I see I have chosen well.” Alaxon smiled gratefully.
“Don’t do that to me again.” Ralph shook his head. “Thought I’d lost you.”
The old man chuckled. “Our destinies are intertwined, my boy. You’ll not be losing me just yet.”
The demon-toads plagued them twice more, but Ralph used the crumbling path to his advantage. As long as he avoided their pustules, it quickly became easy to slice through the monsters or get them to charge before sending them flying off the cliff face. Even if they fell to their deaths, he could siphon the essence from a great distance, although it took a little more time. Whatever these creatures were, they weren’t intelligent, but Ralph still had to keep his wits about him; the constant threat of loose footing and a tremendous drop to their right always loomed.
While they traveled, the priest explained that the lack of dungeons in the area meant monsters hadn’t evolved beyond their initial stages. If this new Infernal dungeon was allowed to grow unhindered, then it would affect the entire landscape, and the monsters would grow powerful beyond measure.
“Then I’ll just defeat them,” Ralph said with a confident smile. Nothing could stand in the way of him while he wielded the Dark Reaper.
That night, they entered a grotto filled with scorch marks, broken furniture, and bloodstains. It looked like it might have housed humanoid monsters at some point, but there was no sign of them among the chaotic remains of a dwelling.
“No corpses,” Alaxon said as he surveyed the destruction. “This was the location of a great battle between infernal monsters. There are no corpses because their bodies slowly break down into dust over a few days.”
“So, whatever happened here is at least a few days past.”
“Correct. We’ll be safe here for the night.”
Ralph almost choked on his tongue. “You can’t be serious? Won’t the survivors return?”
The priest laughed. “There were no survivors, lad. This was complete and total annihilation.”
It didn’t make sense that all the participants in this battle would have died. Surely there was a victor, one lonely monster who’d managed to survive the carnage?
Still, Ralph had come a long way by trusting the old priest, and he wasn’t quite ready to start questioning him. There were many holes in his story, like how he’d come upon the sword, and why he wanted Ralph to wield it. The prophecy in the priest’s stew was quite obviously a lie, but it did no harm to accept it for now.
The prophecy no longer meant much, and the only thing keeping Ralph around now was the Infernal Essence he might obtain from killing monsters. The power still thrummed inside his veins like liquid fire, and the prospect of a new dungeon filled with monsters and bounty was an irresistible attraction.
Ralph nodded at the priest. “I’ll concede to you here, Alaxon, but I’m really starting to wonder about you.”
“Wonder all you like, my boy. I just want a good night’s sleep.”
Ralph did a little exploring and found a bedroom away from the main living room. There weren’t any corpses there, and Alaxon agreed to rest there after a little goading.
“Wake me in three hours,” the old priest said, “and I’ll take next watch.”
He lay in the bed and almost immediately fell asleep while Ralph inspected the rest of the dwelling. There was little in the house that could be used, and he figured the inhabitants had been rather poor. He heard no sounds or stirrings for a good while and returned to the sleeping priest.
Alaxon’s travel sack was tucked behind the bed, and Ralph might not have noticed it were it not for a strange thrumming noise coming from it. A few days ago, Ralph might have disregarded it because he feared what Alaxon might do, but he was stronger now and less certain of the priest’s truthfulness.
Carried by curiosity, Ralph dragged himself along the ground slowly, careful not to wake the old man. When the snoring quietened, he paused, continuing forward when it grew louder. After what felt like an hour, his fingers were finally clasped around the bag, and he popped it open to find what looked like an egg. It vibrated in Ralph’s hands when he took it, and his fingers traced the runes embossed into its surface.
Was this a monster egg of some kind? Or a lizard? Perhaps a dragon egg?
It didn’t quite seem organic, as though it might only have been fashioned to look like an egg but was actually a container for something else.
“Help me,” a female voice entered his mind.
Was it coming from this egg?
Before Ralph could think more about it, he heard Alaxon stir.
“What are you doing, boy?” There was a sinister note in the old priest’s tone, and Ralph hastily shoved the egg back into the bag.
“Nothing. Just looking for things that might be useful. You told me to keep my eyes peeled for anything that wasn’t nailed down.”
“Aye, I did. It’s the way of an adventurer.” Alaxon smiled, appearing satisfied with the explanation. Then
