“Scaled ones?” Dreu muttered out loud.

  Hissing noises could be heard from the cavern amidst the fluttering sounds from the bats. As the hissing noise got louder, Dreu uncontrollably stepped back a few steps.

  Who are the scaled ones?

  Mortal enemies of bats!

  The bats all shouted at once startling Dreu. He ordered the lesser demon bats to stay near the ceiling before he turned on his staff. After a few steps forward into the cavern, the young man got a glimpse of a scaled one. A snake as long as his arm flicked out its tongue. The snake had brown beautifully patterned scales and stared back at him with beady eyes. Then, half a dozen other snakes entered the light with their focus on Dreu. Unlike the bats, these snakes had no issues with the light. Meanwhile, Brornun let out a low growl behind Dreu.

  Aggich! Get ready!

  Dreu couldn’t see her but he sensed the cursed fox moving to his side. He wasn’t about to look away knowing snakes had the ability of striking exceptionally quickly. If he blinked or turned away for a split second, they could land a hit. Dreu wasn’t sure if these snakes were poisonous but he was taking no chances. He gripped his blade tightly, waiting for the snakes to make their first move.

  Now!

  Dreu shouted as soon as he saw the snakes slither towards him. Aggich casted her slow spell on the snakes who went from slithering to barely moving on the floor. Dreu promptly beheaded the seven snakes as they couldn’t react fast enough to his attack. As soon as Dreu let out a breath and Aggich released the spell, the snakes' bodies started convulsing rapidly, as though the serpents refused to give in to death. Dreu watched from a safe distance when one of the lesser demon bats called from above.

  Hundreds of snakes coming!

  “Hundreds of snakes?” said Dreu as he got the attention of the others.

  “Let’s get out of here!” said Ragellon in a firm voice.

  The excitement for spelunking was gone. Her excitement was replaced with fear and she wanted to leave. Dreu, agreeing with her assessment, took the lead with the others following him.

  Stay close!

  Dreu hoped the bats did as they were told. He couldn’t afford to check behind him while they were pursued by so many snakes. The group moved as quickly as they could through the narrow passage. The fluttering and hissing noises eventually lessened to a few fluttering wings once they got far enough away. The group didn’t stop until they reached the cave entrance. Once everyone was certain the snakes weren’t following them, they all took a breather and took a rest.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Do you know what is aiding the snakes in their victories? They must have found a secret weapon or something to break the stalemate.

  The four lesser demon bats remained in the darkness of the passageway. Dreu couldn’t see them so he looked in their direction. He wanted to get a better grasp of the situation like how much of the underground caverns were home to the snakes.

  Recently, the snakes gained the assistance of a sorceress said to be granting the snakes blessings. We bats aren't great with magic.

  A sorceress?

  Given that they were in a realm created by demons, he wondered if the sorceress could be a demoness who had ended up underground. Such a powerful being could easily tilt the conflict between the demonic creatures underground.

  “Ragellon,” said Dreu as he turned to the demonic child, “do you know if any demon or demoness might also be training here beside us?”

  “No,” said Ragellon without hesitation.

  Ragellon then went on to explain that, if any demon or demoness entered the realm, their presence would be recorded on a tablet in the city. This was a way to track who was in the realm and, in the event of an emergency, everyone could be evacuated with no one left behind. When asked about what brought it up, Dreu shared what the bat told him. She pondered the information for a brief while before coming to the conclusion the sorceress wasn’t a demoness. She couldn’t explain how another being entered without them knowing but Ragellon was certain with her conclusion.

  Please help my family!

  The pleading of the bat called Bartok made Dreu sigh. He turned to the bat with a serious expression.

  I cannot fight against hundreds of snakes. I’m not strong enough.

  But I know where the sorceress is.

  When the bat revealed this, it not only got Dreu’s attention but also the other bats. After much prodding, Dreu learned the bats had been searching for the sorceress who they blamed for their losses. Through the determined efforts and selfless sacrifices of many bats, they located the sorceress in a subterranean lake. The bats reasoned that, once the sorceress was defeated, they could start reclaiming their home from the scaled ones.

  And how am I supposed to get to this lake?

  The dragged out silence from the darkness proved Dreu’s point. He unsummoned the bats so they could get some rest. They would come up with a plan the following day. He shared the idea with Ragellon who was against any spelunking into a subterranean lake. In the Demon Realm, one avoided large bodies of water due to the dangers that might lurk below. For land dwellers like them, bodies of water spelled trouble. Dreu never thought he would see a day when a child would be lecturing him on what not to do in life. She had a point but he couldn’t ignore the pleads of the four new additions to his roster.

  We’ll find a way somehow.

  Dreu knew it was all bravado at this point. Lacking summoned units who were either strong underground or underwater, his options were greatly limited. At times like these, he doubted even Bayard could come up with a solution. He could almost imagine his old mentor lecturing him for his foolishness of tackling an environment they fared poorly in. However, he could at least try to formulate a plan. Like the bats, he had been the underdog. For once, he wanted the underdogs to win.