The Paladin in the Abyss

These demons appeared to be checking out the situation below, when they came face to face with the group.

"What are you—" the demon's words were cut off by a flying hammer that smashed into its face. The dwarf had already been impatient with the slow pace of his companions' advance, and seeing the enemy appear, he had no patience to wait for it to finish its nonsense.

Both sides were very familiar with the process that followed. The mutated creatures immediately charged, using their height advantage to pounce fiercely towards the adventurers, who, in turn, drew their weapons, ready for battle.

"Engage!"

The human knight let out a loud shout, charging ahead to meet the enemy, but Kalalin's magic was even faster. A large swath of black grease suddenly appeared on the steps in front of them, and the demons, caught mid-charge, slipped and fell, their fierce advance turning into a tumbling avalanche.

When they finally managed to stabilize themselves and struggled to their feet, what met them was the long-awaited onslaught of warhammers and longswords.

Lancelot's Frostslash lit up with a cyan sword aura, slashing at an enemy in front of him. The mutated demon's two extra arms on its back tried to block the attack, but their hard yet brittle bone claws were no match for the human knight's weapon; with two sharp snaps, the claws broke, and the longsword landed between the demon's head horns, splitting the mutated creature's head open.

Yet the demon exhibited the terrifying life force characteristic of abyssal creatures. Despite such a grave injury, it did not die, instead hammering its arms harshly against the human knight's waist, trying to knock down this formidable foe. The demon's fist, larger than a dwarf's head, pounded on the armor with a tremendous impact sound, but Lancelot stood unflinched like a metallic golem.

In retaliation, he lifted his knee viciously into his enemy's chin. The demon's skull was forced violently backwards by the terrible blow, and the purplish-brain tissue flew out from the top of its head, sticking to another demon.

The demon in front of Lancelot twitched for a moment before finally falling.

His companions also made good use of the advantage the Scholar had created. Bruto was delighted to see that the enemies were even shorter than him once they fell, raining down his warhammer and shattering the demons' resistance. The Succubus Paladin fought with her methodical style, not dealing excessive damage as frequently as Bruto and Lancelot, but her efficiency was not lacking. Koula and little Isha followed by her side, quietly stabbing with deadly daggers and short swords, taking advantage of the distraction their enemies suffered from Elothysia.
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In less than two minutes, the group disposed of all the demons. Victorious, they continued forward, carefully avoiding the still-slick steps, and reached the top after a short while.

Lancelot looked back and from his position, the square below was fully visible. The layout of the buildings made it clear that the 'master' the mutated demons had spoken of had grand ambitions, seemingly intending to establish his own kingdom in this hidden place. But at that moment, this embryonic kingdom had suffered severe damage, and its first citizens, heavy casualties.

The first explosion by the skull had relieved its master from being surrounded and also lured numerous confused demons wanting to understand what had happened. The skull then threw out the rest of its bombs in one go, unwittingly achieving the biggest victory of the day.

As for the 'master' the mutated demons spoke of, they must be hiding within the gloomy great hall that lay before the group. This box-shaped structure did look much like a coffin, with a metal giant door on its front about fifteen feet wide and more than fifty feet tall. The demons must have come out from there, but now it was tightly shut.

Bruto stepped forward, feet apart for stability, and placed both hands on one of the doors. With a low growl, he pushed hard.

The massive door didn't budge an inch.

"Uh." The dwarf scratched his head in embarrassment, "Maybe this side of the door is locked. Let me try the other one."

He moved to the other door, steadied himself, took two deep breaths, and reached out to push again.

The dwarf's muscles, honed from years of forging, bulged impressively. A muffled roar came from his throat, and two deep drag marks appeared on the ground from the immense pushing force, but the door still refused to open for him.

"I'm out of ideas." The dwarf, supporting his waist, retreated in defeat, "Anyone else can have a go, but if you ask me, this door can only be opened from the inside."

The group, curious, gathered around to closely examine the door. After all the effort, having finally arrived here, could they really be thwarted by a door?

"Stop looking, this is Abyssal Metal, heavy and unyielding, innately chaotic, difficult to work with, and only Demons can utilize this stuff." Bruto folded his arms across his chest, watching Kalalin curiously feeling around on the door. "Of course, you might find a way to open it, with all those fancy magics of yours."

"I remember Tijana mentioning that High Rank Demons make amulets that store life essence, to avoid dying completely if slain in the Abyss. If I'm not mistaken, those amulets are made of this Abyssal Metal."

As Kalalin spoke, his hand found a hidden movable part on the door. Curiously, he lifted the piece to reveal a handle-like ring.

The Scholar gave it a gentle pull, and the door immediately creaked open, causing the dwarf's expression to instantly freeze.

"You were right," Kalalin shrugged, "it was indeed meant to be opened from the inside."

Lancelot patted the dwarf's shoulder sympathetically for all the energy he had wasted, then closed his eyes for a moment to sense his surroundings before warning everyone,

"I can feel numerous strong enemies inside. Everyone, be prepared."

At his words, the group sprang into action. Kalalin cast Mirror Image and Blur on himself to ensure he wouldn't be instantly incapacitated by an enemy rushing at him; Elothysia's longsword began to sparkle with bright golden light as she activated her once-a-day ability to channel divine power, turning her blade into a Holy Weapon; the Elf Priest granted blessings to the group and fortified herself with a Shield of Faith, a first-circle Divine Art that used the power of faith to enhance protection; Koula mixed up one of her Mutagen concoctions, ready if a situation arose that called for her, the smallest among them, to turn the tide.