Dover stepped back from the demon's body, leaving his spelled dagger firmly lodged in place. Motioning Cynder over he told her, "Burn it. Turn the damned thing to ash. Make sure there's nothing left to regenerate."

  With a nod Cynder silently created a magical flame. The body quickly ignited, filling the air with the stench of burning flesh. She maintained the spell until not even bones remained.

  While watching the inferno, Driks solemnly spoke. “Though your body was consumed by evil, I know that an innocent soul remained. Thank you Perd for helping us defeat this demon. May you find peace in the next life.”

  Both Dover and Cynder couldn't help but stare on hearing Driks speaking like a noble, instead of the frivolous playboy they knew him to be. Dover blurted, "What the hell!? Did ya get fragging possessed?"

  Considering the scene for a moment, he shook his head and chuckled before continuing. "Heh. Guess even a big dumb lizard can act his rank sometimes. Next time, put yer damn pants on first!"

  Driks, on having transformed back to his human form, was unavoidably naked. Realizing this led to Cynder quickly looking away as her face heated more from embarrassment than her fire spell. Though Dover was unphased, given the somber mood even Driks found himself flustered on having his appearance brought to everyone's attention. Dover grabbed the bag he brought for exactly this situation and tossed it over. "Hurry up and get dressed," he ordered.

  Once everyone was dusted off, and properly attired, they checked the carnage their traps had caused. Dozens of goblin and demon mount bodies littered the clearing. Most had been torn to shreds and instantly killed, but some, near the edges of the explosions, were still clinging weakly to life. Though they were evil creatures, Dover as a hunter was not. He carefully inspected each body, even the ones which were certainly dead, and delivered them a merciful death when needed.

  When they were confident that they were done here, the trio headed to where Driks’ other guards were hiding. After regrouping they headed through the now quiet wilderness towards Beszdux’s lair. As they traveled further from the battle, the sounds of nature began to return, but the taint left by the demon's presence still left the woods subdued. Though the trail left by the goblin riders was clear, the trip was still fairly long as they traveled by foot.

  Finally they arrived at the clearing with the demon's pit. The trees at the edge of the clearing were a sickly gray and the dirt itself was a lifeless dry sand. The scent of death seemed to float out of the gaping hole before them. Once again there was no sign of life and the forest had fallen silent. Though cautious for potential traps, Dover calmly led them closer. Based on the tracks, he could tell there was a pathway down.

  The trail led them to a set of ancient stairs carved into the walls of the chasm. Each step was rough and uneven, worn down by countless years. As they traveled down into the darkness with only their lights to guide them, they occasionally passed small rooms carved into the walls. These rooms were mostly bare, containing little more than straw bedding and various trophies stolen by the goblins.

  Despite how empty they were, the group carefully searched each room as they went. It was unclear how long the rooms were used, knowing goblins the filth could be from a single month or years. What they could tell was that the goblins had been there long enough to crudely personalize their rooms. One apparently collected skulls from its victims, showing it had participated in dozens of raids. Another collected jewelry, though it was impossible to tell from how many different attacks. What was crystal clear though, was that Beszdux had been using this as its main base of operations for some time.

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  The group collected what little there was of value, to be returned or sold as appropriate, before continuing deeper into the depths. Though the rooms along the stairs were disgusting, on reaching the bottom it was significantly worse. The rancid space was clearly used as a stable for the demonic beasts. The filth was so repulsive that even the stalwart Dover blanched and was forced to cover his mouth and nose. Taking a single step was challenging as they had to carefully place each foot to avoid stepping in the gory food remains or waste which littered the floor.

  “We burn this place when we’re done.” Dover declared and everyone emphatically agreed.

  Dover did his best to search the stables, though much less carefully than the goblin's rooms. Finding nothing of note, he was both relieved and concerned that there weren't any more beasts. "Driks, anything leave after the raiding party?"

  “No. Oh...” Frowning, Driks immediately realized what Dover was implying. The amount of dens did not match what they had killed, there were significantly more.

  “Yeah. There are more out there... Do yer noble thing and tell the nearby villages.”

  Driks nodded and they continued to explore. There were several other passages along the walls, but most seemed unused. They still examined each one, their findings more or less the same as the stables. One tunnel was clearly used for garbage, and they quickly backtracked before purifying it with fire. Gagging from the toxic stench they burnt it several times before it was even remotely passable, and by then, anything of use was long since incinerated. They saved the one, surprisingly clean, passage for last. It was immediately obvious that the animals didn't even try to approach it. At the end was a small room with proper furniture and even a desk covered in books. This was obviously where Beszdux itself had stayed.

  Inspecting the desk revealed that they were ordinary books, no sign of magical tomes or anything unusual. There were no notes or plans either. Rummaging through the chests and drawers in the room found all sorts of supplies and materials, much of which they immediately destroyed due to their nature, but nothing which explained more about who this demon was or why it was here. Nor were there any clues to the mysterious figure who helped Beszdux possess its final victim.

  The bedroom contained one final door to explore. At the end of another dark hallway they found the summoning room. Barely cleaner than the stables, signs of past rituals were everywhere. The demon had apparently only cleaned when space, or changes to the spell circle, were required. Etched into the stone ground was a semi-permanent gateway spell. With it, all that was required to summon more monsters was the proper sacrifices and restocking components in their respective places. The circle oozed evil intent, and Cynder took great pleasure in its destruction.

  The most concerning thing though, was the lack of a ritual book. Even utilizing the carved gateway, a magical grimoire would be required to conduct such a complex summoning ritual. Not even a Dragon Lord could do so without one. Despite that, there was none present.

  Finishing their search of the area, they took whatever might be relevant and then quickly left. As they headed towards the exit, they left nothing but smouldering ruins behind them. Dover even used his explosive powder to destroy the carved stone stairs as they returned to the surface. He only wished he could somehow fill the cavern as well.

  After leaving the hell hole, the party was unable to relax and discuss their plans until they had traveled far enough that the trees blocked their view of the clearing. They had won the battle, Beszdux was defeated, but all signs pointed to someone else pulling the strings. Their mission was complete, but no one could guess what the future would hold.

  With that they went their separate ways. Driks and his guards headed back to Arcanium Terra to reunite with Fawn and report to the council. They would surely have busy days ahead. Dover and Cynder returned to the wilderness, destination unknown, though easy enough for Driks to track down should the situation require. There was no elaborate farewell, just a promise to return when the Dragon Company was needed again.

  The End