Jade didn't need the interface to tell her what this creature was, but she pulled it up anyway as she struck with blinding speed. 'Bruzak - Demon' was all she registered before Phantom's tip sank into his neck, cutting off the shout of alarm already starting to emerge from his throat. The pulsing weak spot highlighted by 'Vital Strike' did its job, and her blade sank to hilt with a violent spray of black blood.

  "Guuhhghh…"

  The humanoid demon slumped, flickering flames dying in his hands as whatever magic he'd been about to summon flickered and failed along with the body of its host. The creature sagged, losing his grip on the narrow ladder he'd climbed to reach the trapdoor. Jade grabbed at his arms in an attempt to hold him up, Luis and Fenrin dashing over to help, but it was too late. He was too heavy, and the body slipped from her grasp to crash down into the tunnel-like-chamber below with a 'thud'.

  "Garzvog!" A raspy voice hissed from below. Whether it was a name or a curse, Jade couldn't tell. "Intruders! Send word to the lady! We need to leave!"

  Jade spared a fraction of a moment to glance at her friends. Fenrin and Luis were beside her now, weapons out. Tara had her wand at the ready, running closer. Ashar's smile was gone. He held his gem-studded wand in one hand, and a small vial in the other. Naomi caught her eye, face pale, and gave the slightest of nods.

  There wasn't time to think or deliberate. If the demons fled, they might never find them again. They did this now, or they gave up their best chance at finding answers.

  "Siora, watch our backs." Jade hissed.

  "Better yet, go get the guard." Fenrin countermanded. "Tell them what we've found."

  That was a better idea. Who knew what was waiting for them down below. Jade leapt down the shaft without waiting for an acknowledgement, pursuing the rapidly receding footfalls. They had to act now, while they still held the advantage of surprise.

  Malice was having a frustrating day. First, her idiot subordinates had dropped an entire crate of dimension effusion while trying to load it into one of the carts, scattering pouches and vials everywhere. Killing the two responsible had made her feel better but hadn't done much to improve productivity. It had all gone downhill from there. Nothing but delays, excuses, and a room full of cowardly demons who wouldn't even meet her eyes.

  "If we aren't ready to leave by tonight." Malice growled, stalking the length of the room, tail swishing in time with her lash. "Then I'll-"

  A distant, echoing clatter reached her ears, along with raised voices. The sounds were coming from the tunnel leading to the abandoned warehouse, and she turned just in time to see a bloodied, wounded bruzak stagger out of the passage. He collapsed with a gurgle, two arrows protruding from his back. A powerful aura pulse was all it took for Malice to locate and identify the intruders, and a smile stretched across her face.

  Finally. Something interesting.

  "You lot!" She growled at a group of bruzaks who had been busying themselves preparing the last of the crates. "Go slow down the intruders. The rest of you! Get the door open. We're leaving, now."

  "But the rest of the effusion…?" One of the imps asked, flapping over to her. "Lord Zertrolk demanded-"

  A single slice of her clawed hands rent the pathetic creature in two, sending both halves of its small body splattering to the ground in front of her.

  "We have more than enough loaded already." She snapped, irritated. What was it going to take to get her own subordinates to listen to her. "Get moving!"

  The collection of weak auras belonging to Jade and her friends weren't enough to defeat all of them, Malice wasn't worried about that. A large conflict next to the valuable, fully loaded wagons could, however, damage or destroy the goods she'd worked so hard to obtain. Better to move up the schedule and get underway now rather than risk a confrontation here.

  She strode towards the passage at the rear of the rest of the group she'd commanded to intercept them, heels clicking on the stone floor with each step. That didn't mean she couldn't enjoy herself a little before they had to leave. It would take a few minutes to open the smuggler's hatch that led onto the street, and the animals had to be hitched to the wagons.

  That left time for her to play with her new sister again. Maybe this day wasn't going so poorly after all.

  Jade hadn't been sure what to expect, but a complex of tight tunnels under the warehouse wasn't it. The small passages were low enough that even she had to stoop to avoid hitting her head and were barely broad enough to stand two abreast. This made fighting difficult, especially for someone who relied as much on mobility as she did. Luis and Fenrin took the lead, the two men better suited to direct confrontation than she. The snap of Fenrin's bow was accompanied by a burst of electricity and a gurgling choke, followed by a heavy thump.

  "Got one." He grunted, sliding another arrow from his quiver.

  "See any others?" Jade asked, unable to view much of the winding tunnel past the bulk of her two companions. The area had fallen silent, although at least two of the demonic creatures had escaped into the network of passages. The rest had fought, slashing at them with sharp claws and flinging balls of crackling fire. They had been quickly dispatched, the ferocious 'bruzaks' showing no regard for their own safety.

  "Nothing." Luis said, taking the lead and pressing forward. "Looks like a bigger room ahead."

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  "Good. Let's get out of these tunnels."

  As they pressed forward, they had to step over a couple of demonic corpses. The bruzaks were vaguely humanoid with dark skin, protruding bone ridges from their extremities, and vicious claws extending from their fingers. They were taller than Jade, and each wore an obscuring robe that hid most of their features but offered little in the way of protection.

  "Did we have to kill them…?" Naomi asked, looking back at one of the corpses. Dark blood was pooling around its crumpled form, crimson eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

  "Yes." Tara said from the middle of their group. The tek'kalla still had her wand at the ready, although she hadn't used it to cast any spells yet. Her angular face was set in a scowl. "Demons are a plague that bring death and delight in the torment of their victims. Do not feel for them."

  Gee. Thanks.

  "Some people say the same about your people." Fenrin said, shooting her a glance over his shoulder. "It's dangerous to condemn entire peoples with sweeping generalizations."

  "If you lack the will to fight, then get out of the way so that I may."

  Fenrin hesitated, and then shook his head.

  "No. This group is too big a threat to the city. We can't let them get away."

  They'd been attacked on sight by every bruzak they'd encountered in the tunnels, most of which had ferociously thrown themselves at Luis and Fenrin with reckless abandon. According to Ashar, this type of demon feasted on humanoid flesh. Jade had no qualms about killing them.

  "Let's just… be careful." Naomi said quietly as they passed through an opening and, finally, emerged into a larger space.

  This new room wasn't enormous, but the ceiling was high enough for them all to stand upright. Like the rest of the underground complex the walls were formed from worked grey stone, the area lit by flickering torches. Several alcoves were carved into the walls in the sides of the room, most of which were barred. Jade thought they were prison cells at first, but the barred doors didn't appear to have any locks on them. There were signs that they'd been used as storage vaults, instead. Indeed, twin tracks reminiscent of railway lines disappeared through more tunnels on the far side of the room, and there was even a few mine carts resting inert on the closest of them.

  No sooner had she finished her brief inspection of the room when another, larger group of the brutish demons burst into the chamber from the opposite passages. None of them bore weapons other than their clawed hands and conjured fire, and all were garbed in the same nondescript robes. That didn't mean they weren't dangerous, however. The demons all had Labyrinth estimated levels in the mid-teens and, while none were quite as quick of their feet as Jade, each were strong and tough.

  Fenrin, Luis, Jade, and Naomi were used to fighting as a unit now, and the strength of their teamwork proved to be the deciding factor in the short but brutal fight. None of the demons fought with any coordination, instead throwing themselves into the fray with more ferocity than intent. Luis took the brunt of their attacks on his shield, focusing on keeping their attention away from Naomi and Fenrin as the bard buffed their speed and the half-elf fired electrically charged arrows with lethal precision. Jade shifted through the shadows, flitting in and out of the edges of battle. Laying traps, finishing off wounded combatants, and disappearing into shadows as soon as she drew attention proved an effective means of disrupting the initial fury of the demons' assault, keeping them confused and off-balance.

  Despite never having worked with any of them before, Tara'lynn proved to be an adaptable fighter. Perhaps realizing that she could easily break the cohesion of an established team, she held back to the rear of the fight, blasting bursts of fire and light energy into the thickest clusters of the dozen or more demons that engaged them. Her spells were well placed, never too near an ally and often blindsiding her targets, leaving them open for other attacks. Ashar, for his part, stayed in the tunnel behind them, making sure no further enemies were moving to flank their rear.

  The battle was turning decidedly in their favor when Jade's expanded senses prickled. There was a crack and a whistling, and she threw herself to the side. Too slow. The whip caught her in the hip, sparking against her defensive barrier and slicing through to gouge a shallow cut on her exposed skin. The wound stung, although her enhanced fortitude was enough to prevent it from being more than a superficial injury. She spun, crouched, blades at the ready, her gaze landing on the newest of the combatants. Her lips drew into a line as she recognized the slender figure, long dark hair, and wicked grin.

  "Malice…" She growled.

  "Hello, little sister." The succubus said in a lilting tone.

  The battle was nearly over, Jade's friends mopping up the last of the ravenous demons behind her. If Malice cared about the fate of her allies, neither her face nor aura betrayed her feelings. The demon's attention was fixed on Jade, and there was an amused glint in her eyes.

  "What are you doing here?" Jade demanded, stalking closer to the succubus. She was clad in black leather, a supple, form fitting outfit that accentuated her curves. Red runes pulsed in spiraling patterns across the torso in a mesmerizing display. "What did you mean when you said demons were sent to Earth?"

  Malice's grin broadened. Jade hadn't really expected an answer, but the demon's derisive chuckle pissed her off all the same.

  "Why don't you come with me and find out, Jade?" She smirked, glancing at her bloodstained daggers. "I see you're quickly becoming accustomed to our ways. Don't deny that you enjoy the thrill of the fight, sister, I can taste that you do."

  Anger spiked through Jade's mind. She'd always hated being talked down to, and this creature had already humiliated her enough.

  "I'll enjoy getting answers out of you." She shot back. "I'm not unarmed and alone this time."

  Jade twitched her wrist in a practiced motion, flinging phantom towards the demon. As expected, Malice easily twisted aside, deftly dodging the blow. The blade sank into a wooden support beam behind her and Jade teleported, appearing on her other side and ripping the blade free before it had even finished sinking into the wood. She slashed at Malice's back-

  Only for the demon to whirl on her with lightning reflexes, catching her by the wrist and sweeping Jade's legs out from under her. She crashed to the ground with enough force to shatter the remnants of her protective barrier, pain blossoming through her shoulder and side. That wasn't enough to stop Jade, however, and she flung herself to the side, narrowly avoiding Malice's heeled boot from stomping into her back. A double slash with her blades caught the succubus across the knees, drawing blood and making her leap away with a snarl.

  "You're getting better." The succubus grinned, dragging a clawed finger across the gash in her leg and raising it to her mouth, tasting the blood. The disturbing sight sent an involuntary shudder running down Jade's spine as she rolled to her feet. "And I like the new armor… I should get some like that."

  Jade ignored the comment. Her friends had defeated the remaining demons and were rushing across the room to help. Even the demon's higher level wouldn't protect her from a combined assault.

  "This should be long enough." Malice said, casting a critical eye across the pile of dead demons littering the chamber. "I appreciate the help, the carts didn't have room for all of them."

  Did this creature care about anything? The complete apathy towards the bloody massacre surrounding them was unsettling in an entirely new way.

  "You-"

  Too late. Malice's form sank into the shadows, dissolving into a line of smoke that streaked back down the passage she'd emerged from.

  That's new…

  "Was that her?" Naomi asked, breathless. "The succubus?"

  "It was." Jade growled, taking off down the tunnel at a sprint. "And we aren't letting her get away!"

  She didn't wait for her friends to reply. Jade had a score to settle with this demon, and she had no intention of letting her slip away again, not without some real answers.

  There was too much at stake.