Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer
chapter-322

Ashton knelt beside the unconscious Fey, surprisingly, they weren't dead. He decided to heal the poor thing so he placed his hands on their body, his hands glowing with healing magic.

'It's a woman.' He points out after inspecting his patient closely.

He focused his mind and channeled his power into her, mending her broken body and purging the last remnants of demonic corruption from her being.

As the healing magic flowed through her, Ashton studied the woman's features, trying to discern any clue as to her identity or how she had become corrupted. But she was a stranger to him, and he could only wait for her to wake up and reveal the truth.

Once he was satisfied that he had done all he could, Ashton erected a formation barrier around them. The barrier would keep them isolated from the rest of the caverns and protect them from any further attacks.

As he sat there, waiting for the woman to awaken, Ashton's mind raced with questions. Who was she? How had she fallen to the demonic corruption? And most importantly, how could he help her?

He wasn't expecting to meet someone here. He didn't expect to be in this kind of situation either.

But he knew that he could not rush her recovery. All he could do was wait and hope that she would be able to provide him with the answers

***

After an hour or so, the woman started regaining consciousness, she was initially disoriented and confused. She thrashed about, screaming and pleading for someone to stop the pain. But as she realized that she was safe and sound, she began to calm down.

As she looked around, she saw Ashton and tensed up, ready to defend herself. But as she saw that he was a Fey like her, she relaxed a bit.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"My name is Ashton," he replied. "I'm a Fey, like you. I came here to investigate the demonic corruption when I got attacked by a demon. I killed it and it turns out to be you. Now, I want an explanation since I've seen a situation like this before. Can you tell me what happened?"

Eira nodded slowly, taking in this information. She began to relax even more, realizing that she was in the presence of a fellow Fey.

The woman's name was Eira, and she was a powerful Fey mage who had been part of a team tasked with exploring the Abyssal Caverns. Eira and her teammates had been investigating reports of demonic corruption in the area, but things had gone horribly wrong.

She then began to tell her story. Eira and her team had been investigating the Abyssal Caverns for weeks, trying to root out the source of the demonic corruption. They had thought that they were making progress, but they had been caught off-guard by a powerful demon and its minions.

The demon had overwhelmed them, corrupting her teammates one by one until Eira was the only one left. She had been badly injured in the fight, and she had barely managed to make it to the spot where Ashton had found her but that's when her memories turned blurry. She expected that this was also around the time when she turned into a corrupted fey.

Ashton listened to Eira's story, feeling sorry for her and her team. He knew that he had to do something to stop the demonic corruption before it spread any further. But first, he had to help Eira recover and regain her strength.

He gave her some food and drinks, and she wolfed them down. Eira caught herself in the act and felt embarrassed by what she did, however Ashton didn't seem to mind at all.

Ashton handed Eira a water skin, which she gratefully took a sip from before continuing with her story.

"The demon we faced was unlike any I've ever seen before," Eira began. "It was massive, easily twice the size of a normal demon. It had black scales that shimmered like obsidian and eyes that glowed with a sickly green light. Its roar shook the caverns, and its claws could tear through stone like it was butter."

Ashton listened intently, his mind racing with the possibilities of what they were up against.

He couldn't help but think that there seems to be more Demon Types in this world unlike with his original one. He noted this aspect and threw it at the back of his mind since he needed to focus on the current situation.

"And...you said there was a ritual right?" he prompted, wanting to know more about the corruption that had overtaken Eira.

Eira's expression turned grim as she recalled the event. "We found a group of cultists performing a ritual in a chamber deep within the caverns," she said. "They were summoning a powerful demon, and they needed sacrifices to do it."

"My teammates and I tried to stop them, but they overpowered us. They used us as sacrifices in the ritual, and I was the only one who managed to survive the transformation."

Ashton frowned at Eira's words. The cultists were clearly in league with the demons, and they were working to bring about something truly horrific. But that wasn't the main issue.

What got him really curious was the method they were using. How in the world did this cultist discover a way to corrupt Feys? Did they discover it themselves or was it given to them by the Demons they were worshipping?

He wanted to know since this information might become important later on. However, this isn't something that he could ask Eira since it's clear that she was traumatized by what happened to her.

Ashton then stood up and suggested leaving Eira behind in the safe zone he created, promising her that he will try his best to bring her teammates back and eliminate the powerful demon along with the sorcerers. However, Eira was skeptical about his chances since he was alone.

"But how can you do that?" Eira asked, her voice laced with skepticism. "You're just one person. How can you possibly take on a demon and multiple sorcerers by yourself?"

Ashton smiled reassuringly. "I may be just one person, but I have something they don't."

She didn't look convinced so Ashton pointed this thing out:

"Remember, I managed to revert you from your corrupted state. A feat which should've been impossible, yet I did." He smiled at her.

Eira looked at Ashton with a mix of surprise and admiration. She knew he was right. If he could bring her back from the brink of corruption, then he must possess a level of power and knowledge beyond anything she could have imagined.

She nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll trust you."

Ashton nodded back. "Good. You stay here and rest. I'll be back soon." With that, he left the safe zone, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

Ashton continued deeper into the Abyssal Cavern, the twisting, and turning tunnels was like a maze. It was easy to get lost and disoriented, the shadows seemed to shift and change as he walked, and the only light source came from his staff. Every step he took echoed loudly, bouncing off the cavern walls, making it difficult to determine the source of the sounds.

The air grew thick with a damp and musty smell, mixed with the stench of sulfur, making it hard to breathe. The darkness was unrelenting, leaving Ashton's mind to play tricks on him. The walls themselves seemed to pulse with a faint green glow, which illuminated the occasional patch of mushrooms or strange mosses growing from the rocky walls.

The floor was uneven and treacherous, with jagged rocks jutting out from the ground, threatening to trip Ashton up at every turn. He had to be extra careful not to fall, lest he ends up at the mercy of the many dangers that lurked within the cavern.

Despite the danger and disorientation, Ashton pushed on, determined to complete his mission and cleanse the caverns of demonic influence.

Finally, he arrives at a massive chamber deep within the caverns, where dozens of demons have gathered. They sense Ashton's presence and turn to face him, snarling and baring their teeth. But before they can even attempt to attack, Ashton unleashes a powerful blast of his Purifying White Flames.

The flames rush forward with blinding speed, engulfing every demon in their path. The cavern shakes as the spell hits, the force of it sending ripples through the stone floor. Demons howl and screech in agony as they're consumed by the flames, their flesh and bones reduced to ash.

The air is thick with the smell of charred demon flesh, and Ashton feels a sense of grim satisfaction at the sight of their defeat.

As he walked among the smoldering remains of the demons, Ashton noticed something in the corner of his eye. It was the bodies of four fey, lying motionless on the ground. He recognized them as Eria's teammates.

Ashton approached the bodies and placed his hand on them, using his healing magic to revive them from their corrupted state. He then summoned a group of golems to transport the revived fey back to where he left Eira, knowing that they would be safe there.