Monsters galore

Rose followed behind the mercenaries that she hired, the team approaching the entrance to the opening. The two men led in front while Arianna followed a little behind them, Rose in the back. The two men stepped up to the entrance and looked down into it, one of them shaking his head.

"Girly, this is not what I was expecting," said Vurk, the orc mercenary with the two cleavers. He was tall and muscular, showing off his chest and scars without care. He was more of a berserker, diving into the battle without care.

His partner, Derryl, was a strong human with a battleaxe. He preferred to wear more armor but that was because he liked to show off how strong he was by carrying a heavy weapon and heavy equipment. Derryl looked back at Rose with a wicked grin, seeming to be excited. "Looks like your friend left out an important detail."

Rose and Arianna crept up to the edge and looked down. Rose saw what they were talking about. The hole went far, unable to see the bottom. All along the sides were platforms that had a cave against the wall, leading deep underground. And every platform had at least two or three monsters, some had more. But the problem was that there was no way down. No steps, no walkway, nothing.

"That's so deep," Rose said, trying to gauge the depth. But with no way of seeing the bottom, it was impossible.

"That's what she said," laughed Derryl, nudging his partner. Arianna just rolled her eyes and held up her hand, shooting a ball of light straight down the middle of the hole. It went down... and down... and down...

After they lost sight of the light, Rose shook her head. "That's impossible... that light was bright enough to be seen from at least a mile away. There must be some kind of magic at work down there, keeping the bottom hidden."

Vurk set a blade down and reached into his pack, pulling out a rope. "I only have enough rope to get to the platform right below us. After that, we won't be able to get further down. And if we use the rope, we can't get back up."

Arianna scoffed, putting a hand on her hip and glaring at him. "You're forgetting my magical abilities. I can keep the rope anchored up here until you get to the platform then detach it and hover down. We can do the same on the way back up. The only problem is I'm not sure if I have enough energy to do that and fight monsters. And I only have 3 potions to energize myself if I run out. After that, we're screwed."

Rose was trying to figure out what to do when there was a sudden rumble. She backed away from the edge just in time for a huge creature to climb up out of it. The thing was big, twice as tall as her and longer than all four of them laying down. It was sleek black with green eyes and six legs, the front two pairs more like claws. The tail was long and bulbous at the end, probably used as a blunt weapon.

Arianna's hands glowed red as she summoned fire to them, getting the creature's attention. "A Vandren! Keep an eye on its tail! If it rears up, move or it'll pounce on you!"

Everyone got into a fighting stance as the creature moved towards Arianna. Well, everyone but Rose. She was not a fighter. She scrambled back further as the hired help fought it. As they fought, Arianna would call out tips to avoid getting killed by the Vandren while helping the two men hit its weak spots.

What she didn't know was that as they fought, something else came out of the hole.

The thing smiled at Rose from behind. Finally, the perfect girl for my mistress. It crept forward quietly and moved right behind Rose.

The girl had a weird feeling, as if she was being watched. Hearing something behind her, she turned quickly and her eyes widened at the sight of the new creature that seemed to stare right at her. The thing moved towards her calmly, as if it knew there was no escaping it.

"Arianna!"

Hearing Rose cry out, the dark elf looked towards her and her eyes widened at the sight of the woman-like monster. She gave a quick blast of fire to the Vandren, causing it to stumble back as the other two mercenaries finished it.

She rushed over and sent a blast of lightning towards the creature, hoping to give her time to get between the two. But without breaking eye contact with Rose, it raised the weapon in its hand and blocked the blast. Rose turned and ran towards Arianna, seeking help.

"Don't run, my dear," the thing spoke to Rose, causing her to stop, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. The thing spoke perfect english, though her voice sounded a little hoarse. "My mistress has been waiting so long. Let me bring you to her. She will reward us both greatly."

Rose turned and looked back at it, her heart beating faster than ever. Before she could respond, however, Arianna jumped in front of her, holding up her hand and blasting a curtain of ice forward at the creature.

The two men came running over, looking at the sight of Arianna's fingers spewing forth a blizzard. Once it stopped, she slumped over slightly, breathing hard. "That one... I've never seen before... huf..."

She quickly pulled out a bottle on her belt and downed it, restoring her energy. When she looked at where the creature was, however, her eyes widened. "No... that would've frozen even an ice golem solid..."

As the snow and ice settled, the woman still stood, unscathed and unfrozen. She smirked at Arianna, brandishing her unnatural sword. Derryl and Vurk got in front of Arianna, holding up their weapons.