Aveyond: Rhen's Quest

Chapter 16: Shadowmeld

"Let's waste no time and finish the last puzzle," said Rhen.

They walked on and stopped in front of a locked metal gate, a screen with keypad blinking aside. It was question no.1.

"I sleep by day, I feast by night, I'm allergic to the sun. What am I?"

"Easy," Lars went forward and typed the answer. The door rattled and slid aside. The path cleared.

It was seconds before Rhen got the next question correct. "'I can walk by day and night, but when the moon arises, so does the beast. What am I?' You're child of the moon, werewolf!"

Question no.3 came as they walked by the opened door.

"I wander these halls, transparent and lost. What am I?"

"The wandering ghost, of course," Elini entered the answer with no doubt. They moved on to the last question.

"I'm the founder of Ghed'ahre, I built those dungeons, what's my first name?"

Without thinking, the trio got their answer straight away. Rhen volunteered to type the final answer and the big door wide opened before them.

"What's the rancid smell?" Lars wrinkled his nose, so was Rhen.

"The scent's getting stronger," said Elini. "It must be here, I presumed."

"Arm's up!" spoke Rhen. They drew out their weapon and walked into the dark room.

They walked across a long corridor. Rows of torch blazing in between knights in shiny armor that stood majestically along. They stepped on the rose-red carpet that paved along with the endless way. Stone pillars stood majestically, holding the hundred-years-old-ceiling from collapsing.

They stopped dead when there were at the end of the corridor. A faint, hollow voice echoed from nowhere, as if it came from the wall behind. But the rancid smell was so strong that they were about to be suffocated. In amazement with a little bit of horror, they watched as a ghostly figure came out from the wall in front of them. He wore a tattered olive-green robe, a skull wand holding on his bony hand.

"The Chosen One!" spoke the figure with a hoarse voice, crimson-red eyes glanced around and aimed at Rhen.

"S-Sorry, you met the wrong p-person," stammered Rhen, who was gripping hard at her sword. Another daeva, she thought.

Lars was trying to figure out on how to get the ghost's attention. "Y'know what, it's best for us to leave now. It's almost night, and we don't want to be trapped here."

"Leave so soon?" enquired the demon, whose name was Zarich, slowly. He raised both of his arms and a dark gate blocked their only way out. "C'mon, let's have some fun! It's getting started."

Rhen couldn't bear anymore. "You made me no choice but to finish you, daeva!" she spatted.

"Muahaha! Bring it on!" boomed Zarich. He waved his wand and all the fire in the room were put out. "Your soul will be mine!"

"It's going to be a while for getting out of here..." muttered Elini.

~~~

It was hard for them (but not for Zarich) to fight in the pitch black, in addition with the demon's Shadowmeld ability, it seems to be eons to finish the fight.

"Hehehe! You can't see me..." Zarich taunted in a singing voice.

"We'll see about that," Rhen looked around while swishing the air with the sword like a wildcat. Lars ignored her and casted fireball to lighten up the room. But a demonic wind blew the fire away. No matter how hard, how many times he casted, it would turned to no avail.