Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer
chapter-321

Ashton soared through the sky, his robes fluttering in the wind as he scanned the horizon for his destination. He was a mage, and he knew countless spells that could aid him on his quest. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a gust of wind to propel him higher into the air, closer to the Starfall Mountains.

After flying for a couple of hours, Ashton finally saw his destination from a distance.

The mountains loomed ahead of him, their jagged peaks reaching toward the heavens. But Ashton wasn't intimidated. He focused his mind and channeled his magic into his Elder Wood long staff, which glowed with a faint blue light.

As he soared over the mountains, he caught sight of the entrance to the Abyssal Caverns. It was impossible to miss, for it oozed a sickly green aura of corruption, tainting the very air around it.

The entrance was perched on a narrow ledge, high above the ground. Ashton's heart sank at the sight. He knew that the corruption wasn't limited to just the caverns - it was seeping out, spreading like cancer throughout the mountains and beyond. With a whispered incantation, he conjured a platform of shimmering light beneath his feet and landed gently on the ledge.

As Ashton approached the Starfall Mountains, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The air around him was thick with palpable darkness, and he could feel the weight of the demonic corruption pressing in on him.

'Yep, there's no mistaking this feeling. Smells like Demons, alright. And the corruption here runs deep.' Ashton commented inwardly, grimacing at the sight.

This wasn't just a problem that could be solved by clearing out the demons from the caverns. The corruption ran far deeper than that. It was cancer that threatened to consume all of Elstar, and it would take more than just his magic to stop it.

As Ashton landed on the narrow ledge outside the entrance to the Abyssal Caverns, he immediately sensed that he was not alone. A group of mountain demons had sensed his arrival and were now closing in on him, their eyes glowing with a fierce hunger.

The Mountain Demons were creatures of pure malice and fury, with twisted, misshapen forms that seemed to defy all laws of nature. They were covered in matted fur that ranged from a sickly brown to a deep, oily black, and their eyes glowed with a fierce, crimson light that seemed to burn with an otherworldly energy.

Their faces were like something out of a nightmare, with snarling, jagged teeth that dripped with acidic saliva, and elongated, pointed ears that twitched at even the slightest sound. Their hands were tipped with razor-sharp claws that glinted in the dim light, and their feet ended in twisted, gnarled talons that could grip onto even the sheerest of cliffs.

But what truly set them apart was the way they moved. They were like liquid shadows, slinking and crawling along the jagged rocks with a grace that was both eerie and awe-inspiring. They seemed to defy gravity, leaping and clinging to the cliffsides with a fluid ease that seemed to border on the supernatural.

And when they attacked, they were like a hurricane of claws and teeth, tearing at their opponents with almost feral ferocity. They moved with a speed that was impossible for creatures of their size, their movements quick and precise, almost like a dance.

All in all, the Mountain Demons were creatures that inspired fear and dread in all who saw them. They were the stuff of legends and nightmares, creatures born of the dark and twisted corners of the world, and they were not to be trifled with.

Without hesitation, Ashton raised his Elder Wood longstaff and channeled his magic into it, ready to face the demons head-on.

The first demon charged at him, its claws extended, but Ashton was ready. He sidestepped the attack and sent a bolt of lightning crackling through the air, striking the demon and sending it tumbling over the edge of the ledge.

But there were more demons where that one came from. Another charged at him, and Ashton ducked under its swinging claws and sent a burst of fire at its back, sending it reeling.

Ashton moved with lightning speed, his longstaff a blur as he unleashed a barrage of spells at the demons. Lightning, fire, ice - he used them all.

He saw how the Mountain Demons got hurt but manages to recover in just a few seconds after they got him by his spells. This confirmed that these demons were gifted with the same false immortality that he was all too familiar with.

'Unfortunately for you guys, I just have this spell that counters that.' He muttered inwardly.

He focused his magic on the Purifying White Flames spell, a spell that was known to be extremely effective against demons. The spell created a white-hot blaze that burned away all corruption and evil, neutralizing the false immortality that demons possessed.

As the first demon charged at him, Ashton unleashed the Purifying White Flames spell, sending a blazing wave of fire at the demon. The demon screeched in agony as the flames engulfed it, burning away its demonic essence and reducing it to ash.

The other demons hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. But then they charged at him, determined to avenge their fallen comrade.

Ashton stood his ground, his longstaff crackling with magic as he unleashed the Purifying White Flames spell again and again. The demons were caught off-guard by the spell's power, and they fell one by one, their false immortality stripped away by the intense heat of the flames.

"And that's all there is to it." Ashton said as he dusted his clothes and proceeded to enter the Abyssal Caverns.

***

As Ashton entered the Abyssal Caverns, he was immediately struck by the eerie atmosphere that permeated the place. The air was thick and musty, with a faint hint of brimstone that made his eyes water.

The walls were jagged and rough, with deep crevices that seemed to go on forever. The rock formations were twisted and distorted as if the very essence of the place was alive and writhing in agony. The floor was slick with a thick, black sludge that squelched underfoot, and the air was thick with a faint, acrid scent that made Ashton's stomach turn.

As he ventured further into the caverns, he saw that the walls were covered in strange, glowing runes that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy. The runes glowed with a sickly green light, casting grotesque shadows that seemed to writhe and twist in the darkness.

The deeper he went, the more Ashton sensed that he was not alone. He heard whispers and murmurs as if a thousand voices were speaking at once, and he felt a presence, watching him from the shadows.

He pressed on, his Longstaff at the ready, his eyes scanning the darkness for any signs of danger. And then, he saw it - a flicker of movement in the shadows, a flash of teeth and claws.

Without hesitation, Ashton raised his Longstaff and unleashed a burst of magic, illuminating the caverns with a bright, white light. And as the light spread, he saw the horrors that lay ahead - demons, twisted and deformed, their eyes glowing with a sickly red light.

For a moment, Ashton hesitated. He had never seen demons like this before - they were larger, more twisted, and more malevolent than any he had ever faced.

Ashton focused his mind and called upon the power of the Purifying White Flames, unleashing a torrent of holy fire that engulfed the demon. The demon shrieked and writhed, but it was no match for Ashton's powerful magic. In a matter of moments, the demon was reduced to ashes, leaving nothing behind.

Or so he thought.

As Ashton stepped forward to inspect the ashes, he saw something strange - a body, lying among the ashes. This was unusual; the Purifying White Flames were known to reduce demons to specks of ash, leaving nothing behind.

Ashton approached the body cautiously, his senses on high alert. As he examined the body, he felt a sense of shock wash over him - the body was that of a Fey, like him.

Ashton's heart sank. He had encountered a Fey that had succumbed to demonic corruption before, but that one didn't leave a body behind so this was strange for him.

But as he examined the body more closely, he realized that something was not quite right. The demon he had just fought had not been a demon at all. This one seems like an experiment more like. He could sense the source of corruption on the body, and it has a limited amount of demonic corruption in it.

This person didn't turn corrupted entirely, which was probably why there was a body left behind.

Ashton's mind raced with questions. How had this happened? And most importantly, what did this mean for his mission to purify the caverns? He felt a chill run down his spine as he considered the implications of what he had just discovered.