Chapter 3

Uesstii knew Faylo would not wake for some time. The mouse used so much magic, with so little sleep. The nightmares he undoubtedly suffered at the hands of this foul creature would not reach him this night. He will sleep deep and peacefully, safe from all those that wish him harm.

A clock ticked relentlessly. Uesstii's tail twitched at the tick, and her whiskers jumped at the tock. She looked to the open door, to the lights that seemed to dim, and the shadows that taunted her. She could feel something, a disgusting presence, one that infested every stone. It was stronger than ever, barely was it detectable a day ago, now, it festered like a rotting wound.

‘Scared now, huh?’ Uesstii spoke aloud, but not loud enough to wake Faylo. ‘Thought you could hide?’

The lights flickered, hummed, and began to grow dim. A scratching came, of sharp claws against stone, in the walls, deep in the earth; laughter rattled, a sickening sound that made Uesstii’s stomach curl. She grabbed the bell and slid off the bed. The handle was of sanded ebony wood, decorated with runes that glowed. The bell was made of bronze, adorned with depictions of the sun, and housed an iron clapper.

Ding! Ding!

The bell rang, soft and delicate, as warm and pleasant as the sun itself. Blue waves of magic burst forth! Appearing as a sphere that grew in size, overtook Uesstii, passed harmlessly through Faylo, and phased through the walls; leaving behind a trail of glittering magic that fluttered to the floor.

Uesstii wiggled her nose, grabbed her sword and buckled the scabbard tight to her waist, and took one last look at Faylo before leaving the room. She closed the door behind her, latching it quietly. The hall was still, cold, and the lights flickered again, towards the kitchen, where she began to walk.

Ding! Ding!

The bell rang, loud and clear, and again, the sphere of blue magic radiated outwards and dissipated. A scuttling, of sloppy, dragging appendages, just on the edge of the magical sphere. A vase fell to the ground, a table was flipped, and the kitchen light flickered, dimmed, then went out.

‘Scared of a little sunlight?’ Uesstii teased, her eyes bright and full, a fiery rage. ‘Why would you run from a lowly squirrel?’ She smiled sadistically, rounded the corner into the kitchen, and stepped fearlessly into the dark. ‘Face me, demon.’

Ding! Ding!

The sphere lit up the room, crashed against the chairs, table, and ceiling. A screeching hiss! A writhering, wriggling mass, invisible to the eye, fell from the ceiling and smashed against the giant dining room table. Dishes flew, cutlery scattered across the stone floor, and tapestries waved and flapped as a rage unlike any other shook the building. Uesstii rang the bell again! The burst of magic slammed into the slithering mass, burned its flesh, and made the invisible visible.

The foul creature, of many limbs, eyes, and teeth, writhed in agony! Barbed tentacles coiled and grabbed; curled and slimed together to escape the power of the sun. Uesstii rang the bell again! The creature howled, a harmonic squeal of a thousand devoured souls.

‘Disgusting.’ Uesstii sneered. ‘To think only a small one got in. Pathetic creatures, you are.’

Small was relative. The creature was massive, three times her size, with many legs that wiggled and bent in odd directions, and a mouth, a horrible circular mouth full of dagger length teeth, and an abyssal gullet; and it was angry. The power it wielded was absolute, incredible, and unnatural. Anger swelled in waves of stolen magic, and supernatural ability, that cracked the floor and shook the building.

Uesstii struggled to balance, but found her footing quickly and rode out the waves of anger with a smile.

‘What’s wrong?’ She teased. ‘Is that all you can manage?’ She rang the bell again and took great delight in watching the creature burn. ‘Feeding on an innocent mouse wasn’t enough?’

Uesstii rang the bell again! The creature screamed! Its tentacles struck out in all directions, striking the chairs, turning them into an explosion of splinters!

‘Yet, here you are, at my mercy, despite having a taste of his incredible power.’

Before Uesstii could ring the bell again, the burning creature used all its strength to turn invisible; and slink into the darkness. The kitchen door slammed open, was torn off its hinges, and tossed to the side; as pots and pans crashed and scattered across the floor.

‘You can’t run from me, demon.’ Uesstii growled! ‘I will hunt you...’ She pulled her sword out of the scabbard and walked toward the kitchen; dodging sharp pieces of wood that littered the floor. ‘I will follow you to the ends of the earth, to the darkest corners, to the abyss.’ She growled, and walked into the black darkness of the kitchen. ‘I will find you!’ She howled fiercely into the unknown. ‘I will rip your limbs off! I will tear out your eyes!’

Ding! Ding!

The brilliant sphere of magic burst forth, lit up the room momentarily, and dissipated just as quick.

‘I will hang your twitching corpse to burn in the light of the sun!’ Uesstii growled.

The house trembled, stone cracked, and dust fell and swirled. Magic permeated the air, of malice and hunger, a sinister presence that rose even the fur on Uesstii’s neck.

‘You insolent whore!’ A disembodied voice roared! ‘Bringer of sunlight!’

Uesstii laughed! So loud and so suddenly, that it seemed to lighten the world around her. ‘Did I strike a nerve?’

‘Death to you! May your womb be sullied and your soul devoured!’

Ding! Ding!

Sunlight burst forth once more! The sphere of magic filled the kitchen, collided with something on the ceiling, and sent it burning to the floor. It wailed, thrashed about, and went tumbling down the winding cellar stairs; desperate to find deeper darkness.

Uesstii peered down the stairs. She could see the light of the burning creature slowly fade. Darkness returned. The air was silent and cold. She wiggled her nose. The air was rank and foul, of rot and disease. The stairs spiralled to the right. She switched her sword to her left paw, bell to her right, and rang it again. Sunlight beamed down the stairs, sparkled, and then faded.

The first steps against the cold stone sent a shiver up her spine. Her breath vaporized as she exhaled. So silent was the depths that she could hear the beat of her heart in her ears, and as she dived deeper, her heart began to race, her fur stood on end, and her eyes darted to every shadow that seemed to move. She rang the bell again. The sunlight scattered, and the sound echoed throughout a massive chamber.

Pillars rose from the floor and held the ceiling every few feet. What little she could see was covered in glowing mushrooms. Barrels sat rotting, long since emptied and forgotten, and the floor was covered in rotten grain that stuck stubbornly between her toes. She grimaced and kicked her paw, toes wiggling to rid themselves of the muck.

‘Eww...’

As disgusting as that was, it paled in comparison to the evil that infested the cellar. She could feel it against her whiskers, a sinister presence that seemed to come from every corner, every shadow. There was one emotion she did not feel, have never felt in the face of evil; fear. She strode confidently deeper into the cellar, swapped her blade back to her right paw, and rang the bell again with her left. The sunlight found nothing.

‘How deep must you hide in such filth?’ Uesstii squeaked. ‘Come out! You are already dead.’

Uesstii pawed back upon clean stone, towards the darkest corner, where the ceiling was tall and the ground sloped deeper, towards a wall of barrels. As she walked, she felt uneasy, as if the world got darker with each step. The wall was not as it seemed. It was askew, opened at one end, a hidden doorway. She pulled it open. A staircase was carved in stone, towards the depths, where even she could not see the bottom, for it disappeared in abysmal gloom. She took to the stairs with slow, careful steps that tested the stone with the pads of her feet.

Down she went. The stairs seemed to go on forever, and were carved with little care, and the tunnel began to squeeze tighter around her. The glow of her bell lit up the walls. The stone dripped with water and was slimy to the touch. She bore it, and stubbornly, she pushed through a space no bigger than a mouse; and stumbled into an antechamber.

Ding! Ding!

Sunlight filled the room. Runes covered the walls, every inch of them, and they sparkled and glowed ever faintly, then faded back to the dark. Uesstii recognized these runes. Protection, warding, and cleansing runes. At the far end of the room, a cave entrance, with stones scattered about, as if something dug its way through from the inside; and carved above it, the runes of the Primordials, and a warning.

“Run. There is no gold beyond these words. No treasure worth your life. Pray to the sun that you may see it again. Run.”

Uesstii wiggled her nose, kept her sword at the ready, ignored the warning and walked inside. The room opened up to a large, natural cave. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, filling the cave with the sound of dripping water. Braziers stood on either side of the entrance, cold and dark, and above them, just out of reach, candles spanned the entire cave, all having long since burned away to mush. A path from the cave entrance cut through a field of stalagmites, and at the end of it, a golden light twinkled in the dark.

The bell rang again. Sunlight lit her path, pulsed far, but vanished before it could hit the cave walls. She held the bell in front of her and followed the path, around the giant stalagmites, and into a clearing carved by paw, where a throne overlooked a runic circle; and beyond that, a fissure in the cave wall surrounded by more runes.

Uesstii squeaked! And nearly dropped her sword. A dead mouse sat upon the throne, mummified and ragged, and on its neck hung a golden, glowing amulet. It radiated with energy, of the sun, and pulsed as if it had a heartbeat of its own. She made a gesture, of the sun, earth, and night, and said a silent prayer.

The mouse was recognizable as female, dressed in strange clothing, and sat with her hollow eyes towards the fissure in the cave. She followed the gaze, to the runic circle, where another mummified corpse lay face down.

‘What in the divines...’ Uesstii whispered. ‘How did you end up here?’

Uesstii sheathed her sword and climbed the steps of the throne. The mouse sat resolute, unyielding, and commanded a presence akin to that of royalty. It reminded Uesstii of her mother. There were no wounds, no weapons, no sign of a struggle. The amulet glowed, pulsed warmly, and caressed her fur. She reached a paw towards it, slowly, and ever so gently, she pressed a climbing claw to the jewel at the centre.

The braziers burst into flame! Uesstii jumped away with a squeak! The mouse was gone. The candles lit up, one by one, till the whole room danced and shimmered in fire light. She fell to the floor and rolled across the magic circle. The other mouse was gone. In the distance, voices came, from the cave entrance. They were hurried and hushed. A child cried. A very young mouse, by the sounds of it, squeaking for its mother.

‘Hush now, Faylo.’ A soft voice said. ‘You must leave us. Do not look back.’

Faylo was carried away, his cries fading to nothing; then came a loud bang and a crash of stone and earth.

‘Is this the right thing to do?’ A female sobbed. ‘To leave him like this?’

‘He is the last of us...’ A male squeaked. ‘We must buy him time.’

An earthquake shook the cave! A mighty roar came, of a thousand souls screaming in pain and agony. Rocks tumbled from the walls, crashed against stone, and exploded into shards and dust.

‘We must hurry!’

Two mice scurried along the path, right by Uesstii, as if she did not exist at all. The fissure in the earth began to grow, and from it, shadows, long and coiling. The mice hurried to the magic circle. The female fumbled about with an amulet, and then placed it in the centre of the circle. She looked to her companion, tears in her eyes.

‘How did it come to this?’

The male mouse pulled her into a squeezing hug. ‘I’m sorry...’ He cried, his paws petting between her ears. ‘I wasn’t strong enough.’

The female returned the hug so fiercely, it looked as if she would squish her friend. ‘Will I see you again?’

‘I’ll be waiting for you on the other side.’

They looked each other in the eyes, those beautiful glowing eyes, golden and bright; then, their lips met in a final kiss.

‘I love you so much.’

The female began to cry, sobbing and weeping against his shoulder. ‘I love you, too.’

The male pulled a knife from his belt; golden, ornate, and decorated with runes. He placed it in her paw and aimed the blade at his heart.

‘Do not hesitate.’

The female took a deep breath and looked him the eyes for the last time. She drove the blade through his heart. The male jerked in pain, tensed up, and the light in his eyes began to fade. His body crumpled to the magic circle. Blood poured from the wound, unnaturally, as if it were being sucked out of the still warm corpse. It travelled along the runes, and as it did, they would slowly light up, till the blood reached the middle, where the amulet lay.

‘May your star burn bright.’ The female squeaked.

She tossed the blade to the shadows. It clattered and clanged across stone. The fissure cracked, and from it, screaming, horrid screaming, of trapped souls, all begging to be saved, to be killed again, but there would be no death for the dead.

The female mouse knelt in front of the circle, dunked her fingers in the fresh blood, and drew four runes, one under each of her eyes, and on her each of her palms. She clapped her paws together! And a magic sphere, as red as blood, radiated out with a thunderous boom! She pulled her paws apart, and bridged between them, a blood-red circle of runic magic that rotated at alarming speeds. The magic spun, grew, and began to pulse.

‘Beezal’uu!’

An angry roar came from the horrible fissure.

‘Hear me, you foul creature.’ She yelled into the abyss. ‘I am Elizabeth.’ She held her paws above her head, her thumbs touching at the tips, and her index fingers did the same, to form a triangle, and each of her fingers were spread far apart. ‘The last of the Mauslin, wife of Alexander, mother of Faylo.’ She started to cry again, her eyes still determined and full of fire. ‘And your jailer.’

Elizabeth howled! A scream of rage, so powerful, that it seemed to warp the air around her. Magic began to pour off the mouse in waves, so incredible it was, that even Uesstii could feel it, much like she did when Faylo lost control. She slammed her paws against the blood filled runic circle! The runes on her face lit up, her body tensed, and lighting arced from the floating magic circles. The blood began to drain away, towards the amulet, where it seeped into the gemstone. Her eyes blazed bright, as if they were alight with golden fire, brighter than even the sun, and her whole body trembled.

The cavern shook again! Disembodied voices echoed, from all directions, as the candles began to go out one by one. Shadows spilled from the fissure, an unnatural darkness, not of Au’luu, but one without love and care, of evil and malice. From it, giant barbed tentacles came, swirling, clasping, slithering up the stone; and around them wiggled free demons of the Fringe.

Howling, screeching abominations, large and foul, flowed like a river from the scared earth; and each one as terrible as the last, with sharp teeth and insatiable hunger. They lunged at Elizabeth! The mouse did not flinch. The amulet shone with the power of the sun, and from it, came a burst of powerful magic that crashed into the demons! So powerful it was, the creatures instantly burned and turned to ash. The giant tentacles writhed in agony, sun burned and on fire!

‘You whore!’ A voice rumbled. ‘Your soul will be mine!’

Elizabeth picked up the amulet and looped it around her neck. The power of sunlight coursed through her veins, her body, her soul. Her long, golden hair flowed in invisible wind; her clothing fluttered, and eyes, a powerful, stern look, of anger and hate; alight in a blaze of sunlight that penetrated the depths of the abyss and burned the foul god within.

The tentacles waved and flailed in anger! They came crashing down, towards the mouse. Uesstii tried to squeak! To warn the little mouse, but nothing came, and her paws felt heavy as she rushed to help. She watched helplessly as those giant tentacles slammed down upon Elizabeth. The mouse did not move, would not budge! The tentacles were blasted away in a burst of sunlight that sent them crashing against the cave wall.

Screams of anger filled the cave and shook the earth!

Elizabeth stood proudly over the wounded earth. The amulet pulsed with power, waves of sunlight that burned the tentacles, penetrated the abyss, and formed a wall of light upon it; tighter it became, runes formed, and the creatures within hissed and wailed! The wall of light severed the giant appendages and burned them to ash.

‘Return to your hell, filth.’ She snapped her finger and the sunlight solidified in a flash of light and formed a barrier. Frustrated wails fell silent. The darkness was banished.

Elizabeth stumbled towards the throne. She half-crawled up the steps and used the last of her strength to sit upon it. Her body was burning up, her veins alight with power, and pulsed rapidly with the heat of the sun. Then, with those glowing eyes, she looked to Uesstii.

‘Uesstii...’ Elizabeth said, in a voice as powerful as the sun itself. ‘The seal weakens. Take Faylo from this place, please...’ She then turned her head and went limp.

Then, the darkness of the cave returned. Uesstii gasped! And found herself face to face with Elizabeth’s corpse and quickly pulled her claw from the amulet. Laughter came, deep and powerful, of multiple creatures, that rumbled stone and clouded the air with dust.

‘You were foolish to come here, Exorcist.’

Uesstii twirled around, looked to the shadows, and pulled her sword from her scabbard. The voice came in all directions, but the strongest source was from the abyssal darkness inside the fissure. She slowly backed away from it and rang her bell. The sunlight exploded outwards, crashed against the walls of the cave, and burned the outlines of a dozen demons clinging to the stone. They did not flinch. They did not wail. Their flesh burned, fizzled out, and they returned to the darkness.

Too many! Uesstii stumbled backwards and pointed her sword at every corner of the room. Her eyes were wide, and her tail jerked wildly behind her. Laughter came again, from all around her. She could feel those endless, horrid eyes on her form, analyzing, lusting.

‘You are the key to my salvation.’ The booming voice rumbled the cave. ‘Give yourself to us, and your death will be swift and painless.’

Uesstii smiled nervously, her whiskers twitching, nose wiggling. ‘Do you promise?’ She said, while backing slowly towards the cave entrance. ‘I don’t like it rough.’

More laughter.

‘I’m a very delicate and innocent squirrel.’ Uesstii pleaded, in a very fake and exaggerated feminine voice. ‘Please don’t hurt me.’

Uesstii’s eyes focused, her ears honed, and her sword rose to a fast striking stance. The ground rumbled behind her, of multiple bodies falling from the ceiling. Her ears wiggled to every step, every slithering sound, and every pushed rock. Closer they came, their stink, the sound of their foul breath. She waited, closed her eyes, grasped her blade tightly in her paw, and with a flick of her wrist, and a twirl of her body, she brought her sword down in a long, powerful arc that caught a creature in its middle! The blade cut through flesh, severed the squealing creature in half, and then came back to finish the job by severing its disgusting head. She fell back to a stance with a wince, her free paw rubbing at her sore ribs.

Ding! Ding!

The blast of sunlight burned the still twitching corpse to ash and sent the other would be attackers scuttling back to the dark.

‘Is that the best you can do?’ Uesstii yelled! She swung her sword and stomped her foot in challenge. ‘Cowards!’

More laughter. It felt endless, from a countless amount of creatures. Uesstii swallowed nervously. Even she could not take so many at once. She kept backing away, towards the entrance. The shadowed walls came alive with the sound of crawling, scuttling, claws on stone, and the wet mashing of teeth and flesh. It came closer.

‘There is no escape for you, Exorcist.’

Ding! Ding!

Sunlight lit up the room, swallowed the darkness, and burned the demons that crawled closer. These ones were large, mean, and did not cower from sunlight; nor flinch from the burning pain. Uesstii backed into a stalactite and squeaked! She began to tremble, her eyes flicking to every demon, trying to make sense of the impossible. Never had she ever seen such a high density of demons, nor had she ever had to fight more than one at a time.

Uesstii felt fear for the first time.

‘We can smell your fear.’ The demonic voice said, practically salivating. ‘Oh, you poor, sweet squirrel. So foolish and naive.’

‘I am not scared!’ Uesstii squeaked! Even her voice shook. ‘I would never show fear in the face of evil! The sun is on my side.’

The voice laughed, so evil and full of hate, it curled Uesstii's whiskers.

‘The sun will not save you here, Exorcist.’

The demons crept closer, toying with her, just out of reach of her sword. She could barely hold the sword straight with her trembling paw.

‘I see the sun, even in the darkest of night.’ Uesstii growled. ‘I feel the sun in the depths of the earth.’ She held her sword high above her. ‘And with the power of the sun, I banish you back to the abyss!’

Air whooshed and sucked towards her sword, swirled around the blade, and in a flash of intense light, it ignited in great flames of fire! It burned like sunlight and drove the crowd of demons back! She waved the flaming sword through the air and took a courageous step forward.

‘I will fight to my last breath!’

The horde of demons growled.

‘Your bravery only delays the inevitable.’ The voice boomed. ‘Your blood is forfeit.’

Uesstii hooked her bell to her waist and held her blade with both paws. The fire burned bright and strong, illuminating her entire form, and sparkling in her ferocious eyes. She was surrounded now. Demons crept on all sides of her. There was no escape. Not anymore, perhaps never, and she quickly accepted this with a heavy exhale and a defiant smile.

‘Bring her to me.’

The demons lunged! Uesstii roared and met the first demon head on! She jumped forward, brought her flaming blade down in front of her, the speed of which was dazzling, beyond that of normal perception, and bisected the demon in a flash of light, leaving the corpse a burning pile of flesh. Before the corpse hit the ground, she was air born. Her powerful legs cracked the stone under them as she was propelled upwards. She crashed feet first on the ceiling, her blade skewering a demon and igniting it with powerful magic; and before gravity had a chance to act upon the squirrel, she jumped again, flipped through the air, and slashed through another demon before landing expertly on the ground.

Uesstii did not rest. Her sword was a blur of blinding fire. The demons roared in frustration, anger, and lust. She was their prey, a female, and she was playing hard to get. The first of the demons fell easily to her blade. They were small, eager, and made mistakes. The big ones stayed back and waited, watched, their gazes boring a hole in Uesstii's very soul.

‘Fight me, cowards!’ Uesstii goaded.

Another demon fell to her blade, and then she dashed forward, her incredible speed bridging the gap between her and a large demon in the blink of an eye. It avoided the first slash, jumped backwards, and then retaliated with a disgusting appendage that mimicked a sharp blade. Uesstii blocked it with the flat of her own blade and deflected it away. She winced and stepped back, her breath hot and ragged. She blew her bang from her eye.

‘You will not last long.’ The disembodied voice growled.

Uesstii tried to growl, but all the came out was a ragged cough. She took a moment to catch her breath. It was becoming harder to breathe. The demons crowded around her, all vying for their chance to violate and harm. Her eyes darted to every target, every shape in the dark. The large demon in front of her rose its nasty weapon and brought it down on top of her! She held her blade above her head and caught the attack. The force of which travelled through her body and cracked the stone under her; her legs wobbling with the stress. The muscles in her arms rippled and she grit her teeth; and with a determined roar, she pushed her blade upwards with impressive strength and sent the giant demon stumbling backwards.

The demons found their opening. Uesstii only had a moment to look surprised as a tentacle slammed into her exposed ribs and sent her flying through the air. The bell fell away from her paw and was instantly crushed by the pursuing horde. She tumbled through the air and smashed against the cave wall, gasping for breath as the air from her lungs was ripped from them. She fell to the floor and was instantly set upon by the horde. She punched, kicked, fought, swung her flaming sword! To no avail.

Teeth dug into her flesh! She squealed in pain! But was silenced by powerful blows across her snout and muzzle. Her sword was torn out of her paw. She watched in horror as the blade was snapped in half. The demon tossed the broken sword away with disgust. She punched at the demon, landing her clenched fist square across its disgusting mouth. Her incredible strength sent the beast sprawling across the stone; but a new demon quickly took its place and sank its dagger like teeth deep into her side.

Uesstii wailed! She was beset upon on all sides, dragged through the abyssal darkness, and fought over like a piece of fresh meat. They tore at her armour and ripped it off, along with her loincloth. The demons growled with primal lust as they befell her naked body. Her screams echoed about the cave and returned to her ears as if taunting her. She clawed desperately at the stone, trying to pull away from her horrible attackers.

Cruel laughter came. It reviled in her pain, her squeaks, her cries. Blood splattered across stone as teeth bit and claws ripped. They forced her on her back, fondled her breasts, licked at her bloodied face, and pressed their disgusting appendages against her blood stained crotch. She kicked wildly, bit with her ruined jaw, and slashed out with her climbing claws. Blood spilled from her wounds, stained her fur, and when she was dragged, it painted the floor like a brush.

‘Beg for death.’ The voice teased. ‘Beg for it, Exorcist.’

Uesstii barely registered the voice. All she could feel was those horrible teeth sink into her flesh again, every blow, every touch against her privates. Those powerful jaws crushed her bones, ripped her flesh, and sank those teeth deep inside her. She screamed! A blood curdling scream, full of fear and pain, that only seemed to fuel the demons and encourage a frenzy of blood.

The demons crowded her like ravenous animals. Fighting for the right to be the first to claim a defeated female. Her arms were wrenched behind her, and her legs were spread apart, and a long, disgusting tongue dragged across her fluffy cunt. All she could do was whimper, a weak, pitiful sound. Tears fell across her cheeks as she finally went limp and allowed herself to cry.

That awful, disgusting voice laughed again. All the demons backed away suddenly, and the biggest of all of them came and grabbed her roughly by her hair and dragged her towards the dark fissure. She coughed and sputtered, still alive, but just barely. Blood poured from her broken nose, seeped from her lips, and her eyes were black and swollen; and all along her body bled jagged wounds.

‘Not yet...’ The voice growled. ‘They can have your corpse.’

The demon threw Uesstii by the hair and let her body roll limply across the magic circle. She whimpered and squeaked, and with the last of her strength, she tried to push herself up; only to be cruelly crushed by a looming tentacle.

‘Bring the mouse.’

Uesstii’s heart sank. She looked to the darkness, and from it came Faylo. The mouse looked half asleep and walked with a stumble.

‘N-no!’ Uesstii wailed.

The demonic voice laughed and the whole cave trembled with raw power.

‘Look upon your failure and weep, Exorcist.’

Faylo wobbled, his breath was raspy, and he twitched and gurgled. He looked to Uesstii with dim, clouded eyes; and deep inside them, she could see it, a light in the dark.

‘Faylo!’ Uesstii screamed! ‘Fight it! You must fight it!’

‘Silence, whore!’ The cavern shook as the sealed demon god roared. ‘He will not listen to you.’

Uesstii spit blood from her mouth and weakly gestured with her only working arm; a crude gesture unfit for any eyes. She smiled and managed a weak laugh. The tentacle holding her down crushed against her. She squealed in pain, screaming now, as all her broken bones ground against each other in a pain unlike any other.

‘Bring the blade.’ The voice growled.

A lowly demon presented a decorative blade; the same used twenty years before to imprison them. Faylo took it in his shaky paw.

‘Faylo!’ Uesstii cried. ‘Please! You must fight it! Break free from them. Flee this place!’

The demon silenced Uesstii by squishing her face against the rocks. She spit and sputtered, painting the cave floor with fresh blood.

‘Why are you protecting him?’ The voice growled. ‘That cunt sniffer?’ Uesstii squeaked and whimpered. ‘Oh, you didn’t know?’ It laughed! ‘He could not resist virgin pussy sleeping in his bed.’ The voice purred, a growl of pure lust.

‘He didn’t!’ Uesstii coughed and growled. ‘He said he didn’t!’

‘He lied!’ It snarled. ‘He shoved his snout between your legs and took a deep whiff, piss and all.’ The giant tentacles curled and coiled, as if enjoying the despair that radiated from Uesstii. ‘We encouraged him to do more, to fuck you, to spoil your virgin womb, but he was weak. One little sniff of a messy cunt had him shooting cum all over himself.’

‘I... I don’t believe you...’ She coughed up blood and turned her head to look at Faylo. ‘Faylo... Please... Fight it!’

Faylo twitched and began to walk towards Uesstii. He took trudging, shuffling steps that dragged his bare paws against sharp stones. He did not flinch, nor did he squeak, as every step left behind bloody paw prints.

‘Faylo...’ Uesstii closed her eyes and wept. ‘I’m sorry...’

The amulet pulsed, brighter this time, like a wave of sunlight; followed by another, quicker this time, like a heartbeat. The demons squealed, growled, and backed away. The cave shook with growing anger.

‘Elizabeth!’ The voice howled! ‘You persist even now?’

Sunlight erupted from the amulet! Crashed against the horde of demons and sent them scurrying for the darkest shadows. The dagger dropped from Faylo’s paw and clattered against the stone floor. His eyes shot wide opened and he gasped for breath! His eyes glowed bright and hot, burning as bright as the sun, and within him, a scream of pain and the death of a foul creature.

The giant tentacles that held Uesstii recoiled, burned in the sunlight, and turned to ash. The roar of pain and anger was deafening and shook the very roots of the earth. It was powerless in the face of true sunlight.

Faylo shook himself awake with a groan. His head throbbed and his stomach churned nauseously.

‘Faylo...’ Uesstii coughed and sputtered. ‘R-run...’

‘Uesstii?’ He squeaked in disbelief.

Blood spilled from horrendous wounds, her arm was twisted unnaturally, and her face was a bloody, broken mess. The mere sight of her condition widened his eyes and rose the fur on his nape. He ran to her, through the dark, past the abyssal scar in the earth, and knelt in the pool of blood that grew under her. He panicked! There was so much damage, so much blood. His paws glowed bright, a golden glow, of warmth and the sun, and he placed them to the most grievous of wounds on her body.

‘I will not leave you!’ He wailed, tears falling across his cheeks.

Brighter his paws glowed! Magic coursed through the mouse, so powerful it was, his eyes glowed bright and began to burn with sunlight. She felt it, in the air, on her body, and inside her. The wounds that threatened her life moments ago began to knit themselves together. The pain was there, but it was faint, like it was far away. Her breath was becoming shallow, sparse, and her eyes began to flutter.

‘No!’ Faylo squeaked! ‘Stay awake, Uesstii! Don’t close your eyes!’

‘Faylo...’ Uesstii squeaked, so soft and gentle that he could barely hear it. She was crying, an ugly sobbing, that left her cheeks wet. ‘Please...’ She whimpered. ‘I don’t want to die in the dark...’

‘You won’t die!’ Faylo wailed. ‘I can save you!’ His paws burned brighter. ‘I can heal you!’ He cried, tears streaming down his face. ‘Just like last time...’

There was a light, a faint sparkle in the dark that only Uesstii could see; and with it came the earthy scent of petrichor. She took it in one last time before she closed her eyes with a smile.

‘Uesstii!!’ Faylo shook her limp body. ‘Wake up! Please, wake up!!’

Faylo pulled his paws away from the dead squirrel. They dripped with blood. His eyes widened and he began to tremble, an uncontrollable fit of anger. The air spun up and circled around him. Static crackled and snapped! Lightning struck the rocks! Thunder boomed! His hair flowed in the wind, and his whole body tensed! Agony tore through his body, a wound so deep, he felt it in his soul. He reared his head and howled! A rage so intense that magic began to seep from his body, pure magic, of extraordinary power, that pulsed in waves that crashed against the darkest parts of the cave.

The demons screamed and squealed! The weakest of which were crushed to death by Faylo’s magical pressure.

‘Kill it!’ Disembodied, disgusting voices screamed; so full of fear, that the cave itself trembled! ‘Kill the mouse!’

Faylo’s eyes erupted into blazing sunlight! He lifted his paw and from it came a blast of lightning! Unnatural, it was, for it glowed yellow and shone as bright as the sun! It annihilated the first demon, reducing it to a charred mass of stinking flesh. Another demon lunged at Faylo. He held up his other paw, and with a flick of his wrist, an invisible force tossed the demon with tremendous force! Crushing it against the cave wall.

The blood on Faylo’s paws began to glow and the space around him warped and twisted. Magic swirled around him, blood-red lightning cracked and snapped! He held his paws together, thumb to thumb, index fingers touching at the tips, forming the trinity of the Primoridals; and with it, he called forth ancient magicks, just as his mother had before him.

The power of the sun came, not to fight some terrible god, but to heal the wounds of the innocent. Faylo channelled his own life essence into the spell, at great cost, but he bore through the horrible pain. His entire body shined as bright as the sun itself, banished all the darkness in the cave, and turned all the remaining demons into ash.

‘Noooo!’ The demonic voice snarled!

Faylo brought his paws to Uesstii’s heart. The magic slammed into her corpse, jolted it with a pulse, and her eyes snapped open and she gasped for breath! That light she saw, so warm and soft, faded away. The incredible healing magic coursed through her body, soothed her pain, and sealed the last of her fatal wounds and snapped her arm back into place. There was no pain, no agony, not in the company of the sun, for she was soothed to her very soul.

The sunlight faded from Faylo’s eyes, his body trembled, and he fell limp against Uesstii. He was breathing, but only just, his breath tickling her sensitive belly.

‘Faylo...’ Uesstii weakly squeaked, her paw rubbing between his soft ears. ‘Are you okay?’

Faylo’s ears twitched and he rose to stare at her in disbelief. ‘Oh, Uesstii!’ He squeaked! And pulled her into a hug. ‘You’re alive!’

Uesstii winced! And sucked back a squeak of pain. ‘Y-yes...’ She groaned. ‘And very sore.’

Faylo pushed away with a blush. ‘I’m sorry...’

Uesstii took a deep breath and exhaled with a smile. ‘Come here.’

Faylo leaned closer, unsure how close he should get; but he had little say in the matter. Uesstii snatched him, and with her remaining strength, she pressed her lips to his and kissed him. His eyes widened, and he stood there, unsure what to do, but she took the lead and leaned into the kiss for him. Her lips were so soft and sweet. He squeaked, mumbled something about chivalry, and then leaned in for another kiss; which Uesstii gave him, happily, their lips meshing together in a kiss worthy of her knight. He picked her up, with impressive strength for a mouse, and cradled her in his arms.

‘Thank you,’ She whispered. ‘Thank you so much...’ Tears came again, and she sobbed, crying freely against his shoulder.

Then, he looked to the glowing amulet, and the corpse of his long dead mother. Tears flowed down his cheeks. There was no time to mourn. The voices of the damned returned. Howls in the dark. He turned away and carried Uesstii out of that hell.

‘Curse you, Faylo!’ The voice erupted with anger. ‘I will drag you both to darkest abyss! I will force you to watch as I defile her womb and tear her limb from limb!’

Faylo growled, but calmed down when he felt Uesstii’s soothing paw against his cheek. He looked down at her, those beautiful, silver eyes, and her soft features. His anger vanished and he ignored the taunting. She snuggled against his chest and sighed, so dreamy was his scent, that she completely forgot about the darkness around her; and the foul creature that watched them with burning hatred.

‘Seal the cave...’ Uesstii weakly coughed. ‘It’ll buy us some time.’

Faylo snapped his fingers and the cave exploded! Rocks came crashing towards them, but bounced harmlessly off a shield of yellow sunlight.

The earth rumbled with angry howls.

Uesstii looked up to her hero, his hard, steeled features, and those tears that ran down his cheeks.

‘Faylo...’

‘I know.’

‘We’ll come back for them. I promise.’

Faylo said nothing. He carried her up the stairs, through the disgusting cellar, and into the kitchen. The lights were back on and hummed delicately. The looming shadow of despair was lifted, at least for now. She sighed dreamily against him and enjoyed the ride. Which wasn’t long at all, for he brought her back to his room and placed her gently on the bed.

‘Ow...’ Uesstii groaned.

‘Sorry!’

‘I really am just a damsel in distress...’ She whispered.

‘You never have to be in distress again, my dear.’

Uesstii giggled, but sucked back a breath as she winced in pain. He was so romantic and cheesy! But he was a mouse, an adorable one at that. There it was again, those strange feelings. She really was falling for a mouse! Was it all so bad? He was her hero, after all. She lay on the bed, mostly because he was insisting she do so, but it felt nice to rest in a warm bed again. His glowing paws roamed her naked body, from her hips, past her breasts, and around her neck and head.

‘Are you in pain?’ He asked, his paws now playing with her tufted ears.

‘No.’

Faylo wiggled his nose. He pressed a claw to her rib and she winced! ‘Don’t lie to me.’

Uesstii rolled her eyes. ‘Fine. Yes,’ She relented. ‘Terrible pain, if you must know.’

‘Stubborn squirrel.’ He squeaked.

‘I feel fine, Faylo. Really.’

Uesstii was not fine. She was an absolute mess, just looking at her horrible condition made Faylo sick to his stomach. Her once pristine and beautiful fur was covered in dried blood, and was torn in more places than he could count. And when he looked in her eyes, where he used to see a bright confidence, he saw something different about her, an uneasy fear. He was struck with a sudden sense of intense guilt.

‘Uesstii...’ Faylo trembled and began to cry. ‘It’s all my fault.’ He sniffled. ‘You...’ He choked back a squeak. ‘There was so much blood...’

Uesstii reached out and grabbed his paw. ‘It wasn’t your fault, squeaks.’ She gave him a reassuring smile. ‘Besides, you saved me, right? That makes up for it, in my eyes.’

Faylo wiped his eyes with his forearm.

‘I wasn’t strong enough...’ Uesstii whispered, and turned away in shame. ‘I’m an Exorcist that couldn’t even save a little mouse.’

‘I heard your voice.’ Faylo squeezed her paw. ‘I heard it calling to me. I followed it through the dark.’ He sniffed back more tears. ‘We would not have won without you.’

‘I should have been able to handle it.’ Uesstii growled. ‘But these blasted ribs...’

‘No fair maiden should have to face such evil alone.’

Uesstii blushed and sighed. ‘I suppose not.’

Faylo dipped a cloth in some water and began to clean Uesstii's face.

Uesstii wiggled. ‘Oh, that’s cold!’

‘I could go get some hot water.’

‘N-no!’ Uesstii squeaked, her eyes alight with panic. ‘Cold is fine.’

Faylo felt her squeeze his paw, so desperately it was, that when he looked to her eyes, all he could see was fear.

‘I’m not going to leave you.’ Faylo squeaked.

Uesstii relaxed and lay her head against the pillow. He dabbed carefully at her lips, cleaning them of blood, then along her whiskers, they wiggled as he did, and across her neck and chest. He stopped just shy of her once creamy-white breasts, hesitated for just a moment, before beginning to clean them too.

‘Ah!’ Uesstii squeaked and inhaled sharply! ‘W-watch the nipples...’

Faylo was blushing furiously. He was watching her nipples, and everything else, with great interest. ‘We could have a bath instead, you know.’

‘As much as I would- eep!’ She wiggled in place. ‘Like that,’ She huffed. ‘I don’t think we should linger carelessly. Besides, I can hardly move.’

‘Are we still in danger?’

‘Yes,’ She began. ‘Maybe not now, but soon, very soon. It will take some time for them to regain their strength.’ She shivered. ‘But, that thing, that horrible monster, he wants out and you are his key.’ She took his paw and squeezed it. ‘We have to leave. I’m sorry.’

Faylo remained silent for a very long time, before, finally, he spoke. ‘Can I come with you?’

Uesstii laughed! A belly laugh that left her ribs sore and jolting with pain. ‘Of course! You may follow me to the ends of the earth.’

‘As your knight?’ He said, rather hopefully.

‘As my knight.’ She promised.

Faylo beamed with pride. ‘I’ll keep you safe, my lady.’

So cheesy! She squeaked and wiggled in place. Just like her romance novels! It was all too much! She had to keep herself from pulling him to the bed. She looked to him again, to those beautiful eyes and found herself getting lost in them for longer than what would have been socially acceptable; but for them? Every moment was bliss.

Faylo finished cleaning her fur of blood and tossed the soiled rag into a hamper. Something he would deal with some other time. Then, he stood there, shuffling awkwardly, as he tended to do. She gave him a sweet smile, soft and gentle.

‘You can sit with me, you know.’

Faylo brightened up, and unexpectedly, he cuddled right up against her. They were both naked, she hardly noticed, and neither did he. She lay against him, cheek to cheek, and sighed heavily. All she wanted to do was curl up, hold him tight in her arms, and fall asleep. The same could be said for Faylo, who was already beginning to nod off against her. She looked to the nightstand where the three Primordial Crystals glowed. They would keep them safe. Her body begged for rest, and by the time she relented, Faylo was already asleep and she joined him shortly after; lulled by their shared warmth and safety.