Watch out!

"Watch out!" You cry out pointing up the dark tunnel as you scramble for your heavy polearm.

Two large man-shaped creatures are lumbering towards you. Each is close to six feet tall, with long arms and misshaped heads. They wear the faded remnants of clothing that only partially covers their pale flesh of their torso. Under the rags the creatures appear to have patches of reptilian scales and their lower bodies are covered with matted fur that does little to conceal the oversized sex organs that hang from between their legs. When you first spot them, both have their noses lifted high and are smelling the stale air in the passageway, but as you step forward to get your body between the beasts and Cassia, both of the creatures lower their feral heads and in the eerie blue light you can clearly see drops of saliva fall from their elongated jaws. Gesturing in your direction they let out guttural grunts, but if they are trying to say actual words then whatever language they are using has been lost over the years.

Fighting these two monsters without any armor to protect you seems hopeless, but negotiating is not an option. The blood curdling howls and single minded hunger of the beasts leaves you no doubt about your fate if you fall. Silently cursing your stupidity at letting Cassia tempt you here in the open hallway you prepare for the worst.

Running would mean plunging into the black water behind you, if the beasts followed you into the water you'd be even worse off. Besides if you turn back now, any hope of finding Eudora would diminish rapidly. Even before your brain fully works out all the implications of staying to fight the descision is taken out of your hands.

The beasts close the gap with surprising speed but no apparent strategy; each one trying to be the first to reach you with their long arms and sharp teeth. Behind you you can hear the low chanting from Cassia that you have become accustom to. In less than the three heartbeats it takes for the two beasts to close with you, the lead figure suddenly howls with pain and clutches its eyes. The second beast bumps into its companion and staggers to the side nearly falling as it loses its balance trying to get to you and Cassia. Remembering Cassia's advice you use the axe blade of your excavating tool and chop hard onto the beast's extended leg. The metal smashes into the thigh of the beast biting deep into the thick muscle and shattering the bone beneath. As the beast topples to the floor you note with horror that other than disabling the leg your blow seems to have little effect on the creature. His arms swing at your legs trying to knock you off your feet and no blood at all spews from the axe bite. Stepping back you swing down again this time smashing one of its claws with the flat face of the shovel.

Cassia is pulling on the back of your neck yelling for you to back away, and you allow her to lead you about ten feet back down the hallway. The crippled creature is trying to crawl after you dragging and kicking itself with its good claw and leg closer to your position. As you prepare to smash its other claw against the rock floor, the beast's companion throws its body onto the crawling nightmare ripping at it with his powerful talons.

"Wait." Cassia whispers "Let them destroy each other." As you wait for the inevitable outcome of the fight you are astonished at the amount of damage that the wounded beast could absorb. After a few gruesome minutes of fighting the winner pulls the still thrashing remains of the crippled creature into the closest side room snarling in your direction. It hunches over the shredded body gnawing on the shoulder of its prize tearing off long stringy ribbons of flesh and swallowing them without even chewing.

As it devoured its horrific meal, the two of you hurried into the suits of armor and collected your gear. The padding was damp in places, but for the most part your plan seemed to work. It is only when you pass by the snarling beast that you notice that the beast's sex had hardened into a massive rod well over a foot long and as thick as your wrist. Pulling Cassia away from the doorway you hope she didn't notice the creature's arousal.

"Will the noise attract others?" You ask as you guide Cassia around the remnants of a smashed claw whose broken fingers were still opening and closing grasping at the dust on the floor.

“I was taught that they are fiercely territorial, so we should be OK for a while.” Cassia is trembling unsteadily at your side and you gently encircle her shoulders with your arm supporting her as you walk until the tremors stop. Even under the thick leather armor her body feels slight and **** and you guide her further along the passage away from the sounds of tearing flesh and cracking bones. The encounter with the creatures of the catacombs has left you rattled as well.

“That wasn’t so bad.” You tell her, and then curious you ask “What did you do to the bigger one back there, and can you do it again?”

“Apollo the Healer of Bodies can also remove these gifts temporarily.” Cassia answers “I blinded him, and yes I can do it again if need be, but each time I draw on my reserves I tire and my body reacts as you just saw.”

Still wary from your encounter with the three demons you scan the way forward carefully while Cassia finishes packing your meager supplies.

"I hope we have a chance to recover before we see more of those creatures."