The Paladin in the Abyss

The expressions on everyone's faces suddenly turned awkward; the child had mistaken the Succubus Paladin for an angel—which was quite a far stretch.

"Hehe, you've got it wrong," Elothysia said with a resigned smile, "I am a succubus, a kind of demon from the Tanari."

"Demon?" Dong Quan's mouth opened wide again as he finally noticed the 'angel sister's' bat wings, the tail behind her, and a pair of delicate antlers on her forehead, all of which unmistakably pointed to the fact that this 'angel sister' who had saved his life was indeed a demon.

"Aren't all demons evil?"

"Who said so? She's a good demon and a Succubus Paladin, ever seen one?" Bruto interjected, "And she truly did save your life, didn't she?"

"My kin and I are a bit different." Elothysia kneeled down so the child could look her in the eye, "Little girl, what is your name? How did you end up here?"

"I'm not some little girl! I'm a boy!" the beautiful-looking child named Aira retorted discontentedly, "My name is Dong Quan, and I was out playing with Lilu..."

At this point, his expression suddenly changed, and he called out anxiously:

"Lilu! Lilu! Please go and save Lilu! If it's any later, she'll be eaten!"

"There's another child captured?" Elothysia looked up at the Human Knight, "Lancelot, we..."

"Save her." Lancelot nodded decisively and then asked Dong Quan, "Don't panic, explain the situation clearly. Your friend's name is Lilu, right? When was she captured? Who took her?"

"About two hours ago, she was captured by a group of Trolls, and I secretly followed them but got caught myself," Dong Quan explained dejectedly, "These trolls are likely underlings of a monster named Valasti, who is said to relish the flesh and blood of children and dwells deep in the Miasma Swamp."

"What kind of monster is this Valasti?" Kalalin inquired, "Or rather, what makes it so formidable?"

"I... I don't know, but it's said that Valasti is a huge monster like a spider, covered all over with eyes and tentacles. Ah, right! Legend has it that it also possesses the ability to control shadows, allowing it to escape by using shadows, which is why people can never catch him!"

"It doesn't sound like a Tanari demon; at least none of the types I'm aware of match that description," Kalalin explained to everyone, "It could be some unknown, ancient Obyrith demon, or perhaps a creature from the Shadow Realm."

"Shadow Realm?" Lancelot found himself facing a new term, "What is that place?"

"It's a plane associated with the Prime Material Plane, a manifestation of the same world in a different dimension, hard to explain properly in just a sentence or two," the Scholar shrugged, "What we need to know is that for a creature that escaped from the Shadow Realm, shadows are its greatest weapon; they can turn shadows into solid form for attack and defense. Naturally, intense light can expose them. If we are to fight such an enemy, we must be prepared with items and magic capable of producing light."

"No problem, the Third Circle Divine Arts technique 'Daylight' should counteract that darkness, and my Hardhead Hammer can also emit light," the Elf Priest raised her hand and said.

"I have some bright flash bombs that should also be effective," the Halfling Alchemist pulled out some clay cans, "It's just that their brightness might be a bit too dazzling. I'll make a sound to warn you when I throw them. Just look away, and only look back when you hear the explosion."

"Good. I'll just throw a Fireball, it should disperse those shadows as well," the Scholar nodded, "Lancelot, once the monster reveals its true form, it's up to you to deal with it. Don't take it lightly, even without the protection of the shadows, the monster might still possess formidable melee abilities."

"And what about me?" Aira tried to assert her presence, "What can I do?"

"Legend has it that this monster has many eyes, which gives it a panoramic view, so there might not be much you can do once the battle starts," Kalalin shook his head, "But there is a more important task than fighting that you will need to handle—scouting."

"Okay!" Aira nodded vigorously, her face showing a serious expression.

"You did great just now, and we will rely on you again to find out the location of the enemy, the number and distribution of its minions, and if possible, to confirm if the other kidnapped child is still alive," Kalalin instructed, "Creatures from the Shadow Realm are surrounded by vast patches of abnormal darkness, which is a very distinct characteristic and easy to recognize."

"I sensed a strong presence in that direction earlier, probably that Valasti," Lancelot pointed out a direction and then admonished, "Be sure to stay safe, and come back immediately once you've located it. Don't approach rashly!" Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

"Don't worry, brother!"

"Won't you get lost?" Dong Quan curiously looked at the girl who wasn't much older than him, "And the forest is so big, what if you can't find it..."

"I can always sense where my brother is," Aira's face showed a weird expression, "After all, my 'bed' is on him."

"Uh, what do you mean?"

Just then, with a 'pop', the little girl disappeared, and in her place was a small bat hovering in mid-air. The small bat squeaked twice at Lancelot, then flapped its wings and flew into the bushes.

"She's a little Vampire," Bruto said with a chuckle, "The so-called bed is her coffin."

"But... aren't Vampires also bad?" Dong Quan was completely confused, "But I think she's quite nice..."

"Even Demons can be good; why can't Vampires be good as well?" Brutob frowned and patted Aira's head, "She was the first to find you earlier!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to mistrust her!" Dong Quan covered his head, feeling somewhat aggrieved, but his eyes skeptically scanned everyone, "What about you guys? You're not some special race as well, are you?"

"Ha! I am nothing but a genuine Dwarf, and the one in the robe next to me is a Human, and that guy in the shiny armor is indeed an Elf," Bruto laughed heartily, "As for that Knight, well... he should still count as a person, I guess?"