Well, dear Reader, here we are once again. These last few updates are coming very quickly. I feel the characters are coming together, and I'm coming to some of the more exciting events in their stories. I'm really enjoying writing them, I do hope you enjoy reading of their exploits.

This chapter finds the pair once again in a tight spot. They are facing overwhelming odds. How will they make it out? Or is this the end of the road for one, or even both of them? Tune in next week for the exciting answer!

As always, please review, good bad or indifferent. Hey, thanks for stopping by!

IX

The trip to the tomb went well, and quickly. The heroes did happen across a few puzzling sights on the way however, sporadically they discovered the corpses of some of the more powerful demons strewn across the ground. Someone had already been through here, but only engaged and destroyed the more serious threats. Hopefully whoever this warrior was, they would help them in their quest.

When the entrance to the tomb rose from the desert ground to greet them, Luther felt a steely ball of fear settle into his stomach. The tomb was sure to be tight and cramped. Cain had explained to him that these burial plots were constructed in ancient times, and were just as much catacombs as their cousins built under stone castles. It was going to be dangerous going that much was clear.

"I'm so excited!" exclaimed Frost.

"What?" Luther said incredulously "what about this is exciting?"

"We're finally going to get some real fighting in. So far all we've seen was a few overgrown buzzards and a couple sand worms. There should be some strong monsters underground though" Frost explained.

"We'll be facing the demons in a tomb they've made home for who knows how long. We'll be fighting in their territory, in dark, close quarters. I see nothing exciting by having the odds against us from the start."

"Whatever you coward. Let's hurry up and get this done before you piss your pants" Frost shrugged.

Luther shot the sorceress a disapproving glance and entered the dark, vile tomb.

Luckily the first floor of the tomb was filled with nothing but undead. Luther's sanctuary aura made short work of the skeletons and mummies clogging the passageways. The skeletons were little threat even in great numbers, nothing more than brittle bones packing small axes. The mummies, however, were a credible threat. They stood at least seven feet tall, and carried very large bladed weapons attached to their arms. They breathed a putrid mixture of decaying flesh and other foul substances, giving the air around them a poisoned quality. They also fired an evil version of a paladin's holy bolt, damaging living beings and resurrecting undead ones. Though they were relatively few scattered about thus far, they would be devastating in large numbers.

After discovering the stairs to the next level behind a rather large group of skeletons, the pair proceeded deeper. Rounding the corner, they stood at a crossroad in the path. A branch shot out in each direction, save south, which housed the stairway back towards the surface.

"Which way should we go?" Luther questioned.

"Hmmm…." Frost said, her brow furrowed in thought. "I say we go north."

"Why north? How do we know that's the right way?"

"I never said it was the right way, I just said that's where I think we should go! If you want to go another way, why in the hell did you ask me?" Frost snapped.

"You're right, I'm sorry. We'll go north, seems as good as any other way" Luther apologized.

They moved forward, passing another intersection and deciding to continue north until they were forced to change direction. Not far past the intersection Luther caught sight of the final stairway down, sinking deeper into the earth from its starting point on the far wall of a room directly in front of them. Luther called back to Frost of his finding, and believing the danger of this floor to be passed, relaxed his guard a good deal.

Frost did not rush to meet him, while relaxing some, she didn't completely drop her guard, and kept her distance of several feet behind the paladin, as was prudent for a mage to do. Something just didn't feel right to her. She could not put her finger on the problem, but she was convinced there was one.

Luther passed through the doorway into the final room containing the stairs and was caught off guard by a nasty surprise. A pack of salamanders had concealed themselves to either side of the door, a trap waiting to be sprung. The creatures were red, about the size of a man, and had foot long spikes of razor sharp bones upon their tails. As Luther came into sight, two salamanders on each side shot forward with blinding speed and thrust their tails forward, slamming them into Luther with such force that the paladin stumbled backwards into the hall several feet.

At this signal, scores of demonically twisted bats dropped from the ceiling, sparks of electricity arcing between their talons and each foot. The rest of the salamanders fanned out from beside the door, forming a half circle around the entranceway.

Upon hearing the deafening clang of the salamander's tail spikes against Luther's armor, Frost began throwing spikes of ice towards the door, hoping to chill the beasts enough to give the paladin a moment to recover from their stunning blows. The lead salamander froze, if only as long as a split second, but that was all Luther needed to recover. He swung with all his might against the demon, killing it.

The first salamander's death opened the doorway, and the rest began pouring through, crowding past each other. As they came out, they began surrounding Luther, executing short range charges, fiercely striking the warrior. The bats poured out as well, swooping down, and shocking him.

Frost began to panic. There was little she could do to help Luther. There were too many for her magics to handle. She was casting glacial spikes as fast as she could, but it was doing little good. She fell a few beasts, but there were always more replacing them, endlessly.

"Fall back Luther!" Frost screamed. She tossed a frozen orb, hoping to buy him some time.

Luther activated an aura of thorns, magically covering his armor in spikes. Every strike the creatures made, the thorns would bite them back, inflicting even more damage on the attacker than the paladin received. A few of the monsters fell from the damage, and the remaining creatures hesitated for just a moment, giving Luther just the opening he needed.

The paladin jumped back, activated his healing aura, and ran for all he was worth back towards the sorceress. Frost began to retreat as well, moving back down the hall towards the stairs back up. Right before they reached the intersection they had just passed, several mummies lumbered out from the shadows, halting the heroes retreat.

The demons slowed their pace, knowing they had the upper hand, and that victory was nearly certain. The pair stopped, standing back to back, watching the slowly advancing horde of bats and salamanders to the north, and the pack of mummies to the south.

"Looks pretty bad" Luther sighed.

"Don't give up, we can still get out of this, and if not, let's take as many of these bastards with us as we can." Frost said, determination setting on her features.

"You're right. I'll take on the salamanders, since their charge attacks will shred you up. You take the mummies, since I can't handle their bolts. And if you cast at the salamanders, remember that ice doesn't work"

Because of the situation, Frost didn't balk at someone else calling the shots, for once in her life. Instead she just nodded solemnly. "Let's do it."

Luther charged forward into the pack of salamanders, crashing into their line with considerable force. Frost teleported a short distance, and began calling firewalls up under the feet of the mummies.

Luther's blows were serving him well, felling a few salamanders very quickly. With each one that fell, another replaced it. There must have been dozen of them pouring out from their room. Likely there is another hallway off to the side of the room with the stairs Luther thought to himself. No matter how vicious his assault, he seemed to make no headway.

With one demon falling to Luther's left, another suddenly struck forward with a vicious charge, catching Luther completely off guard. The blow landed hard against his armor, piercing through and tearing at his skin. The pain made Luther reel, and he heard several ribs crack. Luther's vision swam as he felt blood gush from the wound left by the attack. The monsters around him took advantage of his lack of focus and struck hard. Blow after blow showered down on him, and he toppled onto the cold stone floor.

One of the mummies caught in Frost's firewall met its demise, but the other quickly moved out of the blaze. Frost focused, and released a bolt of lightning that struck a mummy square in the chest, killing it before crashing into the wall behind.

Frost teleported again, a bit to the side of the rest of the mummies, and stole a glance back at Luther. She caught sight of him as the salamander struck him down. She watched him fall to the floor, taken back by the sight. The mummies saw their opening and took advantage of it. They began casting unholy bolts at her, pelting her with great force.

The sorceress stumbled a little bit, disoriented by the attack. She quickly recovered her bearings, and turned to face her attackers. She attempted to cast, but was interrupted by a new volley of evil energy. Her only option was to relocate before pressing the offensive again.

Frost teleported to the other side of the hall, but yet was still dangerously close to the zombies. The zombies did not relent, but just adjusted their aim a touch. Bolt after bolt slammed into Frost and her vision swam with pain. She had no way out, no time to cast. There was little she could do to save herself and Luther had already fallen. Maybe it was truly the end for her.