By the faint light from the floor above, Abigail could see the room had a rough, rounded shape while loose rocks littered the ground. If there was a path or an immediate threat, then it was too dark to see. She brushed her purple hair out of her face as she lifted her necklace. She focused on the gem for a moment and the gem began to glow a soft pale yellow light as she said the elven word "Ivae." The light filled the room and she could see a single path leading into the darkness. Save the rocks that littered the floor and the makeshift staircase she had cobbled together to climb down, nothing else was in this room.
With a slight chuckle, Abigail released the breath she had been holding. No threats this time. She had been warned some of the unexplored tunnels were filled with monstrous beasts. She had her doubts, of course, for she had never seen any monsters herself. Monsters don't exist after all. Even so, she still couldn't help but hesitate anytime she came across a tunnel that wasn't already filled with magical lights.
A glimmer from one of the rocks grabbed her attention and she couldn't help but smile. She had been in the mines all morning yet all she had to show for it was a handful of copper and a bag of rocks. The fortune teller did say the spirits were displeased today but had ignored the warning. "Spirits, smear-its, looks like today is a lucky day after all" she said as she swiftly crossed the room to the glimmering rock.
With each swing of her pickaxe, the resulting clink echoed into the darkness but she didn't care. There was a gem inside this rock and she was determined to reach it. As the rock cracked open, she gasped at the prize inside. Not only was it a gem, it was an amethyst and there were two of them. "Today really is my lucky day" she said with a large smile as she scooped them up. Each amethyst was as big as her palm plus they were her favorite type of gem.
As she marveled at the gems, the sound of a rock falling echoed from behind her. Abigail caught her breath as a shiver ran down her spine in tune with the sound. She shoved the gems in her pack then drew her sword as she spun to face the sound. Before her was nothing more than the empty room and the stairs she came down on. "Show yourself" she said while scowling and tightening her grip on the sword. Abigail's sword began to shake as she looked around. The only sound she could hear now was her rapid breathing.
The sound of another rock falling echoed from down the dark path. "Come on now, come out" she shouted as she spun again. Her voice was shaky and higher-pitched than before as she felt her whole body shake. Abigail held her necklace up and away from her in an attempt to reveal more of the darkened hallway but she couldn't keep it still as her hand shook in place. Abigail ultimately decided it would be best to cut her losses and call it a day. She let the necklace fall back into place as she slung her pack back onto her back. She kept her shaking sword pointed at the dark hallway as she stepped slowly backwards towards the stairs.
Abigail's shaking stopped as her muscles tightened and a scream was caught in her throat as a low growl rumbled through her ears. She tried to turn but it was too late as the shadowy beast slammed into her. Her sword clanged to the floor as woman and beast rolled and tumbled until Abigail was pinned to the stone floor by the creature. The creature's rounded head had a hazy look to it as it snarled a mouth full of fangs. Abigail screamed out in pain as the creature sank its fangs into her shoulder while its claws dug into her chest and legs. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain that burned throughout her body. With her free hand, she tried to bash the creature several times but each strike whiffed through the beast's body as it would swirl around her fist. Abigail felt her strength beginning to wane as the creature drank her very life force. She had to think quickly to escape this situation.
Marlon's words echoed through her mind, "Only magic can slay the monsters that prowl within the mines." On the first day she met Marlon, he had given her a magically infused blade with that warning. Abigail had explored the mines dozens of times without ever seeing a single monster so she never bothered to learn how to use it. She had begun to believe Marlon was just a crazy old man., After all, monsters aren't real. The blade didn't even look magical and looked no different than any other sword she had ever seen in movies. She only kept the blade with her on her mining expeditions for no other reason than to stop the scolding and stern warning Marlon kept giving her whenever she was caught without it. Oh, if only she had practiced more with that blade!
Tears rolled down her face as she lost all feeling in her arm. She didn't know where the sword had fallen and she couldn't push this creature off. Through her cries of pain and struggling, she used the only arm that would still move, to pat down her body. Surely she had something to stop this creature. Her hand patted against a handle. There, she found it. She had found a magically infused dagger earlier that she had tucked away but forgotten. Even through the pain she smiled as she plunged the dagger into the beast.
The creature withdrew its fangs, arced it's back and screeched in pain. Abigail rolled over and scrambled away. Quickly, glancing as she ran, she found the sword laying near where the gems had been. She grabbed it then turned to face this creature. The moment she saw the creature she took in a sharp breath and stepped back. It had a humanoid shape with a rounded head attached to a body that contained two legs and arms that each had hands. Each hand had long sharp claws that glistened in the light and the wide open mouth was filled with razor sharp fangs. It rose to its full height of seven feet and snarled at the woman before it. Its shadowy body flickered and swirled as it flexed. The dagger fired out of its body to clang against the cavern wall and clattered to the floor. A black ichor coated the blade. The beast's solid, milky white eyes narrowed as it growled, then screeched, at its prey.
Abigail flinched from the sound and the very floor trembled as the creature's screech reverberated throughout the room and down the hallway. Small rocks and dust fell from the ceiling to litter the room. Even with her shaking, Abigail managed to hold the sword before her and her knuckles turned white from gripping the handle so tightly. She knew she had to either kill, or trap, this beast. Even if she died with it. With the staircase she herself had placed, the creature would be able to escape and terrorize the town.
Without the creature actively gnawing on her arm, feeling had returned and her arm could move, albeit painfully. Using her injured arm, he began patting herself down while keeping her shaking blade facing the monster. Within a pocket, she felt the round object she had been seeking. She pulled the bomb out of her pocket and struck the wick across her sword causing the wick to catch on fire. "Time to die you ugly son of a bitch" and with a snarl of her own, she tossed the bomb towards the creature.
The beast dropped to all fours and half cantered, half galloped towards her while screeching. The throw was a perfect aim as the bomb whiffed right through the monster's shadowy body. The bomb exploded near the stairs and filled the room with flames. The force of the explosion rocked the entire room, as well as knocking the wind out of Abigail, as she was flung into the hallway. The beast was thrown screeching against a wall as rocks and boulders came crashing down to bury the creature alive.
Abigail slammed against the stone ground and slid several feet. Her momentum shattered some of the rocks while others cut and sliced her skin and clothes. The opening of her pack caught on one of the rocks and was ripped open while the contents spilled and scattered about. One final gurgling shriek was heard as the rocks and dust settled and Abigail lay crumpled on the cold, stone floor.
Abigail awoke coughing up a little blood as she pulled her upper body up off the floor. Her entire body ached as she pulled herself up to sit and lean up against the wall. Once positioned, she held her left side with her right arm. She kept her eyes shut as a throbbing pain pulsed through her chest with every breath she took. She finally opened her eyes to take in her surroundings, but there was no light. She reached for her necklace but it was missing. Despite the darkness, she glanced around for any hints of light. To one side of her, there was a soft blue glow in the shape of a sword. To the other, she saw another light blue glow but couldn't tell what the lump was. In front of her was the final light blue glow of a small rock.
She reached out with her boot and, after several taps, heard the sound of a chain. She slid her boot back and, after multiple attempts, dragged the chain with the glowing rock close enough for her to grab. Lifting it to her face, she stared at the glowing rock before it finally clicked and a small smile creased her face. "Ivae" she said with a rasp to her voice. As she spoke that word, the gem pulsed twice and light spilled forth, illuminating the hallway in an instant. Without any other ambient light, it was blindingly bright.
Abigail held the light above her head as she scanned the area she was now in. At the end of the hall was a wall of stones, clearly from a rock slide. At the base of the rocks was a black liquid that seeped out from under the rocks. Her pack laid in the same position as the glowing lump from before. Abigail winced in pain as she stood all the way up.
The bag was torn but it still had pockets on the outside that still worked. She looked over everything that had fallen out. A handful of copper, the two gems, a purple colored mushroom she had found just before stepping into the mine and, of course, a ton of stone. Abigail sighed at the loss of all that usable stone. With the bag ripped, there was no choice but to leave it behind. Without the bag's magic to make it weightless, and the pockets too small for the stone to fit into, she wouldn't be able to carry any of it. So, with another heavy sigh, she shoved the copper, gems and mushroom into the pockets then slung the pack back on her back.
Abigail looked back at the black liquid. It looked the same as what was on the dagger's blade. Was the beast really dead? During the fight, it seemed as if the monster could reshape its body to dodge any physical attack she had thrown at it. If the beast did reshape itself to dodge attacks, then it clearly had limitations. She rested her hand on the stone "Thank you small dagger. You saved my life today." she said with a sigh, "Rest well".
After finding her sword, she took one last look at the rock slide. She knew right then and there that she would never see that rubble of stone again. Abigail then looked down into the long dark hallway and, with a painful deep breath, she took her first tentative step forward into the unknown.