It had taken Maricela Esparze the better part of a month to finish tracking down this cult.  She had found out a few weeks ago that a small group were intent on casting a demon-summoning ritual, using an enchanted necklace as the focus.  Earlier today, she had found the abandoned temple that they had holed up in, the once-beautiful building now defaced, statues smashed to bits and wall carvings gouged out and painted over.  Now, she stood in the temple's hidden sanctum, the entire cult either dead or fleeing.  In the center of the runic circle sat a small leather collar, the source of the power for the ritual.  The area glowed faintly with magic, a sure sign that were she here any later, they likely would have finished the summoning.<br/><br/>Only one thing remained: to destroy the collar so it could never be used again.  However, she had heard that simply trying to cut the leather band with her sword would be nigh impossible, and even if she could succeed, the destruction of such an artifact in such a way would surely cause an explosion of dark magic.  No... the only safe way to remove the curse and ensure it could never be used would be to bear it herself, endure the curse, and weaken the magic to the point of uselessness.