Velora stood beside the captain as they looked into the cages. Some of the men behind them heaved and retched, the smell and sights overpowering their stomachs. Velora scrunched her nose and tried not to breath too deeply, the scent of despair and fear were palpable. The sorrow and miasma of desperation prominent scents even amongst the faeces and piss.

What the team of veterans and combat personnel were looking at no longer classified as human. Behind the rusting iron bars of the cell was a gaunt and ghoulish figure that lounged in its own filth. The criminals that were sent down here were done so to die, but it could take months or even years for their hardened body’s to succumb. The damp environment and abundant small critters made for disgusting and demeaning yet reliable sources of nourishment. Only the upper tunnels were serviced with food and water, those there not having been sentenced to life.

The team having explored deeper now walked past the rows of bars, the creatures inside the cells shying away from the light and hissing with sharp and broken teeth at the invaders.

One of the support mages cast [Identify], the staple analysis spell.

“Turned, lesser ghouls”

The short remark made many of the party paused and inspect the creature. Many of the younger members jumped when a skeletal human figure bashed itself against the bars pushing a hand through to try and reach them. Intelligence gleaned in the creatures eyes even as it broke itself against the iron in its attempt to reach Velora.

“[Burning Hands]” Velora’s voice was monotone, feeling nether pity or rage at the creature. It was a victim of circumstance. After watching it burn for a few seconds she turned and stalked down the passage taking the Light enchanted staff she carried further into the inky tunnels.

The creature must be destroyed.

The further they went down the worse things became. Skeletons and devoured corpses littered nearly every cell they passed and the miasma of despair grew thicker. Many of the men in the party and even Velora herself began to develop nervous ticks. When standing still they would tap their feet or fingers against the floor or the handles of their weapons. Every breath and footstep would elicit nervous glances from the rest of the team and the tightening of grips on their weapons.

Realizing that this could not continue Velora dipped into her mana and cast a spell, feeling the large outrush from such a powerful spell.

“[Aura Of Purity]”

Mana rushed out from her washing away the miasma and clearing the minds of the expedition. The nervous ticks that the soldiers were drumming slowed and the group breathed easier. There were a few grunts of thanks but otherwise, the group continued in silence.

Velora would have loved to stop and burn every abomination in the cells but she did not have any mana to spare if she was correct about the threat they were about to face.

“[Triple]:[Light]” Velora refreshed the enchantment on her staff and some of the soldier’s weapons, keeping them in a bubble of magical light radiating some forty feet. It was an extremely useful cantrip and cost practically no mana, even when tripled.

They continued forwards, the tunnels starting to grow wider with more numerous offshoots. The cells were replaced with mine entrances as the conversion to a dungeon had not needed to go this deep. Trace amounts of red material could be seen in thin veins in the damp walls. With every few paces down the hall, the darkness seemed to linger longer before their torches dispelled it, the viscous black shadow almost dripped off the walls and sizzled when it contacted the light.

“[Triple]:[Light]” Velora cast the light spell again meaning they now had 6 magical lights. The darkness receded with the added intensity. Any more lights and they would start to blind themselves from within, thankfully the simple spell did not require her concentration to maintain.

As Velora was pondering her magic she heard a “Halt, movement 60 paces”

The company came to a halt like hitting a rock, while Velora took another step before she arrested her momentum. She suppressed some guilt at having her thoughts drift off momentarily but carefully schooled her face and peered into the darkness.

Just as the company though it was a false alarm the captain raised a bow he had slung over his back and loosed an arrow with deadly precision.

“[Power Shot]”

He activated an archery based skill and the arrow loosed with supernatural speed. He seemed to have been aiming at the wall but before it could strike the inky wall the shadows moved. The arrow elicited chips from the wall before splintering and dropping to the floor.

“Contact, form up” The captain bellowed.

The shadow continued to move, slithering with blinding speed around the tunnel and retreating down the other end of the passage. From what she could tell it looked to be about 7 or 8 meters long but still blisteringly fast as it slithered down the tunnel.

The group pursued, not willing to lose their quarry to the tunnels and risk a potential ambush. They followed it around a bend and came out into a natural cavern, the high ceilings hung overhead and the walls stretched to the side. The beast had lured them to a more favourable space. Its agility would make it difficult to hit and there was plenty of room to dodge.

The group made their way into the centre of the room and looked about for the creature. They could all sense its presence in the room. The shadows curled and coiled at the edges and the men shook as the creature stepped from the darkness.

Its scaled dripped black from its dark surface and its maw was filled with disconcertingly shiny white teeth. Black acid dripped from its maw and sizzled on the surface of the stone. It made a silent roar and an aura of black washed over the whole room. Some of the soldiers stumbled and one pissed his pants as Velora felt the pressure of mind magic on her mind. This was not a structured spell but freeform mind magic, mostly unique to beasts. It provided a relentless assault on the group’s senses that had most of them vomiting on the floor.

Velora’s ring of mind shielding was preventing the creature from assailing her mind unimpeded, the captain seemed to have a similar magic item but the men were defenceless.

Mustering her magic she sent a [Scorching Ray] at the black dragon. The three rays of burning flame fanned out and struck at the creature. It managed to dodge one but the other two struck home. The hot fire and mana burst over the creature’s scales but even as she felt triumph the darkness on the scales bubbled up and doused the flames.

The creature hissed at her angrily and she felt momentary despair overwhelm her mind shielding ring before its protection surged using some of its stored energy to remove the paralysing fear.

“Rahaghahha”

Velora watched as the captain charged at the beast, evidently activating a berserker skill.

Velora cast the [Enlarge] buff spell on the Captain and watched as he swelled to double his size and his boots thudded into the ground. He was over eight times heavier now as he barrelled towards a surprised dragon. He swung a now huge sword and cleaved the blade down towards the dragon.

The blade missed, coming down in a pool of black that no longer contained the dragon. The blade vanished into the darkness and when it finished the blade had been eaten off by the dark vapour and the captain was left with a hilt in his hand.

The darkness swelled behind the captain as a black maw burst from the shadows biting down on the captain’s huge leg. There was an audible sizzle as the dragon's acid and shadows ate into the armoured leg and singed the flesh below.

Velona prepared to cast a large spell, no less than her best would see them through this fight.