Chapter 29

Pierce began by casting Boon on the party, bolstering their health points, mana reserves, and regeneration rates for both. He then conjured two beams of light, positioning them in a neck-high arc around half of the group, effectively creating a protective barrier on their flank. Flint, at the forefront, swung his hammer in a wide arc, shattering five skeletons with a single blow. He followed up with a powerful shield bash, crushing bone and pushing back a dozen more skeletons, sending them sprawling.

Evolon, with a moment's forethought, retrieved a newly enchanted bow from her pack—a weapon Pierce had imbued with magic earlier that day. This bow allowed her to conjure arrows from mana, saving her precious fletched arrows and, more importantly, her irreplaceable hunting arrows from home. Drawing the bowstring, she summoned an arrow of pure mana and aimed at the first skull she saw. The arrow pierced the skull, causing the skeleton to explode into a puff of dust. To her amazement, the mana arrow continued through the line of skeletons, also obliterating twenty more at the same height. A lone, shorter skeleton and two taller ones remained standing in the row before her. She nocked another mana arrow, settling in for some target practice.

Ignis unleashed a Fireblast at a group of skeletons directly in front of him, but the spell had no visible effect. Switching tactics, he cast Ice Blast, creating an arc of frigid air around his side of the formation. The skeletons that attempted to advance across the icy ground immediately slipped and fell prone, unable to regain their footing.

Grok summoned her three tigers, commanding them to crush the skulls of any crawling or decapitated skeletons that reached the party’s perimeter. She then positioned herself near Evolon, careful not to interfere with the hunter's line of fire, and used her sword to dispatch any remaining skeletons that Evolon’s piercing arrows missed.

After the first thirty minutes of relentless combat, with skeletons pouring in through the four doorways to replace those they felled, Ignis called for a brief respite and cast Time Stop. Each party member retrieved a drink or snack from their inventory, taking a moment to rest their limbs and minds. The ten-second break, though brief, was a welcome reprieve. When time resumed, the undead horde pressed on, relentlessly attempting to overwhelm the adventurers. The battle continued, a chaotic ballet of death and defiance. The adventurers fought with desperate intensity, their movements and skills honed with each passing second. Pierce maintained his protective arc of light, healing his companions and bolstering their strength whenever they faltered. Evolon’s arrows continued to find their marks, thinning the ranks of the undead with deadly precision. Flint, a tireless engine of destruction, smashed and bashed as the horde advanced ceaselessly. Ignis, his control over the ice expanding to encompass half the room, carefully avoided icing any skeletons that approached his companions, knowing it would interfere with their attacks and traps. Grok eliminated any stragglers that slipped through the party’s defenses, her three tigers calmly crunching skulls, their jaws snapping loudly amidst the ticking and whirring of the clockwork mechanisms in the room.

Hours passed, each one a grueling test of endurance. The adventurers fought on, their bodies weary, their minds numbed by the relentless onslaught. The initial excitement of the battle a distant memory. The constant need to defend and attack took its toll, draining their reserves of mana and stamina. Pierce’s movements slowed, the constant concentration required to maintain the protective light beams began to strain his mind. Evolon’s arrows flew less frequently, her aim slightly off, resulting in only half the skeletons in her line of sight being felled. Flint’s swings grew heavy, and he requested that Ignis create a larger arc of ice around the party, essentially leaving only a small opening for the advancing skeletons. Evolon fired arrows just over his head, thinning the approaching crowd. Ignis stood sweating, a throbbing headache building from the prolonged focus required to maintain such a large area of ice. Grok, however, seemed as sharp and poised as ever, her tigers lazily dispatching skulls with their usual gruesome efficiency.

The relentless tide of undead showed no signs of abating. The Time Stop breaks became more frequent, until Ignis finally exhausted his mana reserves, eliminating their brief reprieves from the monotonous grind of battle. The party’s hope for victory and vengeance dwindled with each passing moment. Knowing they couldn't sustain this forever, Pierce communicated their backup plan.

"Ignis," Pierce said between panting exhalations and deep breaths, "keep enough mana in reserve for a single portal. If I call it, we leave and come back to fight another day."

The battle suddenly reached a critical juncture. The party found themselves huddled together on a small island amidst a sea of bone and dust, surrounded on all sides. The relentless pressure of the undead horde threatened to overwhelm them. Pierce, his face pale with exhaustion, cast a healing spell on Flint just as the smaller man slipped on a pool of his own blood and fell to one knee. As the party braced for their inevitable doom, the healing spell sailed over Flint’s head and struck the approaching skeletons. The unexpected surge of life force overloaded the nearest undead, causing it to explode in a shower of dust. But the anomaly didn't end there. Pierce’s Overhealth and Spell Cascade perks combined to create a chain reaction. A wave of life energy spread exponentially through the tightly packed skeletons, each undead body becoming a conduit for the overwhelming force. Within seconds, every skeleton in the chamber had been eradicated, leaving the adventurers standing in stunned silence nothing but bone dust and shattered armor on the floor. For a full ten seconds, they could only stare in disbelief as fresh skeletons slowly filed in through the doorways, their numbers still overwhelming, but the immediate threat temporarily neutralized. This brief respite, born from an accidental miracle, offered a flicker of hope and a precious moment to catch their breath, as their bodies and minds screamed for rest.

Pierce, his voice hoarse but filled with a newfound determination, broke the silence. "Did you see that? We just wiped out hundreds of undead with a single healing spell!" He gestured toward the slowly replenishing ranks of skeletons, a grim smile playing on his lips. "Fight or flee, everyone votes now," he asked, taking a long drink of cold water from his canteen.

"I'm not one to back down," Flint said, leaning against his hammer like a cane, "but this hammer is getting mighty heavy."

"I can't keep up this pace much longer," Evolon said, massaging her twitching biceps. "To conserve mana, I've already cut my rate of fire in half."

"I say we portal out," Ignis said, his eyes closed in a meditative pose. "Get the humans back to Earth, have a good night's rest and a good meal, then come back buffed to hell and back and finish this guy off properly."

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"Grok does not wish to retreat," Grok said, lying among her tigers and petting them affectionately, "but we did give our word to your Earth humans, and our glorious death here on this battlefield would mean breaking that oath."

"Ignis, get us out of here," Pierce decided.

"One portal to Dunblag, coming up!" Ignis said, draining the last of his mana to cast the spell. "I'm going to overlay it on top of the previous portal so a skilled portal master can't follow as easily."

The party slowly moved through the portal, emerging onto an empty rooftop overlooking the Dunblag fish market. Ignis immediately closed the portal behind them. The group dove into the harbor waters before swimming a short distance to a dark alleyway, working their way through the shadows to ensure they weren't followed to their hideout. Once they arrived and opened the hidden door, they were met with a barrage of complaints from the Earthlings, demanding to know why they had taken so long.

"We fought off the ambush and eventually had to retreat," Pierce said with a lazy wave of his hand, "but looking through the experience logs, I can see we cost the enemy over one hundred thousand skeletons. Ignis, a portal, if you will?"

"This way, friends," Ignis said, casting his portal spell. A dark, empty cave was visible on the other side.

Flint, Grok, and Evolon entered the portal first to ensure it was clear of enemies, or to clear it if necessary. Evolon returned through the portal and gave the all-clear signal. The humans filed through, displaying a little more confidence than before and without any complaints or stragglers. Pierce and Ignis brought up the rear, walking through and closing the portal behind them.

Ignis immediately began studying the residual magic of the previous Earth portal, with Pierce assisting, contributing his knowledge of runes and enchantments. Flint, Grok, and Evolon sat in a small triangle, their eyes drooping with exhaustion. Behind them stood over one hundred confused humans, longing for home. The leader of the resistance approached the three prone party members and inquired about what the two casters were doing.

"Most portals only lead back to a place where you cast an anchor," Evolon explained between grunts, as Grok massaged her back with her huge orc fist. "Ignis didn't have that spell when we were on Earth, nor did we have this knowledge back then. He's exploring a method to retrace the old portal's steps and get us home."

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful," the resistance leader whispered, "but you brought us here without a way to actually get us home?"

"This is going to be a bit of a shock," Flint said quietly, so as not to disturb Ignis, "but we're just making this all up as we go. Give him a minute; he's pretty good at what he does."

Thirty minutes later, Ignis cast a portal spell in the exact spot of the previous portal. "Because of the length of time the previous portal was open, this should work," Ignis said, shrugging.

"Now, who's going through first?" Pierce asked.

"Enough of this playing around!" Flint exclaimed, wielding his hammer and shield, and stomping through the portal, disappearing to the other side.

Everyone in the large cavern stood silent for five, ten, fifteen seconds. Just as the group of humans began to lose hope, Flint walked back through, unharmed, with a huge smile on his face and a fresh taco in his hand. "WHO'S READY FOR TACO TUESDAY?!" the short man shouted before turning his head sideways and taking a huge bite out of the crunchy taco.

The humans rushed past Flint and through the portal towards home. A few seconds later, the party emerged through the portal, Ignis closing it behind him. All around them, in a large circle in the open area of the Wal-Mart Home Office, sat tanks, JLTVs with.50 caliber machine guns mounted on top, hundreds of soldiers, and even a few drones hovering above. All weapons were aimed at where the portal had been, now adjusting their aim to point directly at the party. The incongruity of the scene—heavily armed soldiers juxtaposed with corporate executives enjoying tacos—was almost surreal.

"Alien invader!" someone yelled. The effect was instantaneous and dramatic. The relaxed atmosphere vanished, replaced by palpable tension. The soldiers, who had until then maintained a professional distance, reacted as one. Weapons shifted slightly to target Grok, and fingers hovered over triggers. Silence hung in the air.

Pierce, seeing the immediate danger, acted quickly. He, along with Evolon, Flint, and Ignis, formed a protective circle around Grok, who stood a head or two taller than her party mates, an amused grin on her face. They stood shoulder to shoulder, weapons drawn, ready to defend their friend as Pierce shouted, "Is Sergeant Eugene Cox here?"

"Hold your fire!" a man with a golden oak leaf on his collar shouted. Pierce noted his name, Riley, stitched on his Army BDUs.

Unsure of Army ranks, Pierce focused on the man and proclaimed, "Grok is not an invader; she is with us. She fought in many battles and has slain many of her own kind, along with countless undead, to help bring our people home safely. If you don't believe us, ask the returned employees for confirmation."

The officer remained unconvinced. "We will interrogate them all," he stated. "And that creature will be detained."

Pierce’s patience finally snapped. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and the last thing he needed was to deal with bureaucratic red tape and military paranoia. "Absolutely not," he said firmly. "We just fought off an undead army for over two hours. We need rest." Pierce cast a spell he had learned during the last battle, as the entire group had leveled up multiple times in the past few hours.

A shimmering blue bubble materialized over the party's heads and extended to the ground in front of them. Almost immediately, all hell broke loose. Tanks, machine guns, and rifles opened fire on their position. The projectiles harmlessly slid off the barely visible shield, landing on the ground with a shower of metallic plinks. A few seconds later, the firing ceased, the smoke cleared, and the party stood untouched before the might of the United States Army.

The Army officer looked taken aback by the shocking turn of events, now finding himself in a standoff with powerful magical beings. He glanced at the party, their faces etched with weariness but their eyes burning with unwavering resolve. He looked at the rescued humans, many of whom were now being comforted by coworkers and family, their faces a mixture of relief and trauma. He looked at the tanks, soldiers, and Wal-Mart executives now taking cover behind a tank, their tacos littering the ground around the taco truck, well behind the encircling line of troops and vehicles. His face shifted from a hard stare to a calm look of resignation, realizing he was in a situation for which his training had never prepared him.

"Alright," he said finally, his voice grudging. "We have accommodations available, but," he added, his gaze fixed on Pierce, "this isn't over. We still have questions."

"Of course," Pierce nodded. "But those questions can wait until tomorrow."

The party, along with Grok, was approached by a young soldier, no older than eighteen, and ushered to a small group of white trailers arranged in neat rows, taking up almost all the available space in an otherwise green park. Large, established trees dotted the area every thirty yards, and a small pond with a fountain, spraying water like an aquatic flower, sat in the middle. The party entered a single trailer, their steps heavy with exhaustion, but their minds already planning their return to Doombringer. They knew their mission was far from over, but for now, they desperately needed rest. After agreeing on a watch schedule, most of the party was asleep within minutes of falling into their bunks, still wearing their armor and clutching their weapons.